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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaffes
Even diligent Webberheads will need to overlook certain gaffes, like a hero who seems to have tied himself up in a climactic moment and a Stygian lair well marked with glowing Exit signs.
—
Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Yes, plenty of errors were made — six of them by shortstop Trevor Story in September alone — but errors are different from gaffes.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
However, once the defense returned to steady action, the New England offense was consistently set up with strong field position due to special teams and offensive gaffes.
—Mike Kaye
september 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2025
From Mitchell’s two gaffes to the Colts only playing 10 men on defense on Atwell’s TD, Indianapolis lost the game as much as the Rams won it.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
Keller took advantage and scored after two of the gaffes and the third killed a drive in the end zone.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
For a team that has won so many close games relying on Butker, the gaffes have raised concerns.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025
The special teams gaffes are too frequent.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Even gaffes that happened when the show began have stayed with the dancers, specifically Kelly Monaco, who recounted her skirt falling apart during her number with Alec Mazo.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Yes, plenty of errors were made — six of them by shortstop Trevor Story in September alone — but errors are different from gaffes.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
However, once the defense returned to steady action, the New England offense was consistently set up with strong field position due to special teams and offensive gaffes.
—Mike Kaye
september 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2025
From Mitchell’s two gaffes to the Colts only playing 10 men on defense on Atwell’s TD, Indianapolis lost the game as much as the Rams won it.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 28 Sep. 2025
Keller took advantage and scored after two of the gaffes and the third killed a drive in the end zone.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
For a team that has won so many close games relying on Butker, the gaffes have raised concerns.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025
The special teams gaffes are too frequent.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Even gaffes that happened when the show began have stayed with the dancers, specifically Kelly Monaco, who recounted her skirt falling apart during her number with Alec Mazo.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffes
Noun
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Against Brent Venables’ otherwise elite defense, Arch Manning had a nicely tidy day, completing 21 of 27 passes with no major blunders and 200 total yards.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The View has a storied history with fashion blunders.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Advertisement There was also a growing feeling that a few more mistakes in Sweida and in coastal Latakia, where Syrian forces massacred Alawites in early March, and the world could turn against the new President.—
Hassan Hassan,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
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Cable operators such as Charter and its biggest peer in the sector, Comcast, are working to fix the customer service mistakes of the past in order to sell themselves as the best value option for consumers.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In that same period, Chelsea have made more errors leading to shots in the Premier League than any other side.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Automation bias can lead to critical errors of commission (acting on flawed advice) and omission (failing to act when a system misses something), particularly in high-stakes environments.—
Nelson Lim,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Both their indiscretions seem to be a thing of the past, if King Charles’s actions are to be believed.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gaffes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffes. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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