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
The errors have ranged from relatively minor pronunciation gaffes to significant changes to story content, like misattributing or inventing quotes and inserting commentary, such as interpreting a source’s quotes as the paper’s position on an issue.
—
Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the gaffes were still there, though the blame doesn’t seem to be solely on the streamer.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
The disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City is a big personality in a position of power with numerous scandals and gaffes for Fumudoh to prod at in her signature affably combative style.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Shouts for it will be met by angry fingers jutted towards the various gaffes played ad nauseam on Sky Sports’ weekly Ref Watch, or the mandatory pause before the emotional unleashing as VAR mulls over whether a goal is a goal or just a hoax.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The defense cannot continue to prop up an offense that sleepwalks through the first half or a special teams group that sabotages with fundamental gaffes.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Nov. 2025
The two teams traded special teams gaffes.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
Bad center snaps, dropped passes, pre-snap penalties, gaffes by the defensive secondary.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
Melvin’s co-hosts also shared some of their own on-air gaffes, including Daly, 52, who had a story that left him feeling embarrassed.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the gaffes were still there, though the blame doesn’t seem to be solely on the streamer.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
The disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City is a big personality in a position of power with numerous scandals and gaffes for Fumudoh to prod at in her signature affably combative style.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Shouts for it will be met by angry fingers jutted towards the various gaffes played ad nauseam on Sky Sports’ weekly Ref Watch, or the mandatory pause before the emotional unleashing as VAR mulls over whether a goal is a goal or just a hoax.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The defense cannot continue to prop up an offense that sleepwalks through the first half or a special teams group that sabotages with fundamental gaffes.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Nov. 2025
The two teams traded special teams gaffes.
—Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
Bad center snaps, dropped passes, pre-snap penalties, gaffes by the defensive secondary.
—Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
Melvin’s co-hosts also shared some of their own on-air gaffes, including Daly, 52, who had a story that left him feeling embarrassed.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffes
Noun
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Williamson County based Ramsey Solutions has also come up with an effective guide to avoid any regifting blunders.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
Nashville Tennessean,
28 Dec. 2025
-
There are worse things than watching Black, Rudd, and Zahn play three gormless morons on a mid-life misadventure, but almost every scene and setpiece is constructed with a haphazardness that blunders away their charm.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In Slow Horses — an adaptation of author Mick Herron's award-winning Slough House series — Oldman, 67, portrays Jackson Lamb, the leader of a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents whose career-ending mistakes landed them an unwanted spot at Slough House.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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This game was a defensive battle on both sides, as Hurts and Purdy had their fair share of mistakes, though the latter’s showed up in the box score.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In other words, some of those 110-year-olds might just be clerical errors.—
Rachel Macpherson,
Outside,
11 Jan. 2026
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After months of harping on these errors in film study and practices, Kerr finally went to an unconventional method to inspire change.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Shuler, whose play with Riverside helped him gain a scholarship to the University of New Orleans, broke down several times when describing Lorch’s use of a paddle to punish him for indiscretions ranging from not working hard in practice to struggling in a high school French class.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Once there, however, Rhoda discovers more than Max’s indiscretions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaffes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffes. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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