Synonyms of gaffes

gaffes

noun

plural of gaffe

1

as in blunders

a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark

committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blunders
• mistakes
• errors
• indiscretions
• gaffs
• improprieties
• solecisms
• faux pas
• familiarities
• miscues
• flubs
• missteps
• fumbles
• offenses
• goofs
• discourtesies
• slipups
• lapses
• incivilities
• oversights
• stumbles
• misstatements
• misjudgments
• miscalculations
• howlers
• misconceptions
• misunderstandings
• slips
• foul-ups
• boners
• muffs
• misapprehensions

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gestures
• amenities
• courtesies
• attentions
• formalities
• manners
• pleasantries
• forms
• civilities
• mores
• proprieties

2

as in mistakes

an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy

so-called debates, which seemed to be mainly about seeing which candidate made the most gaffes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mistakes
• blunders
• errors
• miscues
• fumbles
• flubs
• inaccuracies
• missteps
• trips
• gaffs
• stumbles
• goofs
• faults
• screwups
• slipups
• clangers
• lapses
• oversights
• bobbles
• bricks
• boobs
• clinkers
• boo-boos
• fluffs
• slips
• bloopers
• pratfalls
• snafus
• howlers
• misstatements
• misunderstandings
• misjudgments
• miscalculations
• misinterpretations
• boners
• misreadings
• misconceptions
• foul-ups
• misconstructions
• bloomers
• misimpressions
• misapprehensions
• misdescriptions
• miscomprehensions

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accuracies
• precisions
• exactitudes
• perfections
• infallibilities
• inerrancies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of gaffes

The Democrat, who supports Jackson, thinks there’s wisdom in trying to avoid gaffes that distract from Collins. — Julia Terruso, Time, 26 Oct. 2026

The Cougars then committed back-to-back special teams gaffes that let the Irish back in the game. — John Coon, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Shroff also said the debate produced no major gaffes or race-changing moments in a contest that has already attracted substantial national attention and spending. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

But the clips are inescapable on my Instagram feed, and the science gaffes seem … real bad. — Brittany Trang, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026

One of its more glaring gaffes within the past couple years is the delay of Caitlin Clark's signature sneaker. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Uncharacteristic gaffes could have proved costly, from a punt bouncing off Siran Neal’s legs to Eddy Piñeiro’s golden boot missing two point-after kicks. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026

Defense holds strong after first-half gaffes The Trojans ran the ball from heavy formations and used play-action off those looks to incrementally make their way down the field. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

But there were also many of the same gaffes that plagued Washington during its miserable 5-12 campaign in 2025. — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026