1
as in blunder
a wrong judgment
they made a mistake when they thought the young pitcher was ready to be called up to the major leagues
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2
as in error
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
made a mistake on the exam that almost cost her a passing grade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to misunderstand
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
the auctioneer mistook my nod for a bid, and I ended up buying a painting I don't even like
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to underestimate
to make an incorrect judgment regarding
you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily
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3
as in to confuse
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
she mistook physical attraction for love
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mistake
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2025
But a series of mistakes ensured the Cardinal wouldn’t come close to breaking a nine-game road losing streak.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 30 Sep. 2025
According to Fox 35, deputies mistook Vasquez for their suspect due to a one-letter difference in the spelling of their last names.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Noun
Too much of the banter is sloppy and too many of her mistakes are avoidable.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2025
But a series of mistakes ensured the Cardinal wouldn’t come close to breaking a nine-game road losing streak.
—Harold Gutmann, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
But don’t mistake quiet for weakness.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 30 Sep. 2025
According to Fox 35, deputies mistook Vasquez for their suspect due to a one-letter difference in the spelling of their last names.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistake
Noun
-
Base running blunder The Tigers had a great chance to put together a big inning in the second, after Trey Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly, knocking in a run.—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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That blunder came one series after Slayton had a brutal drop on a 50-yard bomb from Dart that would have put the ball inside the Saints’ 20-yard line.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The cause of the labeling error is reportedly under investigation.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
9 Oct. 2025
-
His error on Andrés Giménez’s one-out grounder in the seventh inning with a runner on first base was a major blow.—
The Athletic MLB Staff,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But to argue that any of this research adds up to a substantial account of intelligence misunderstands the nature of such human traits and what can be expected from scientific explanations of them.—
Eric Turkheimer,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
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Nigeria deserves solidarity in its fight against terror — not careless rhetoric that fuels misunderstanding.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Four points in their opening two Champions League fixtures is also not to be underestimated, even if their 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt fell below expectations.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
While this may seem very simple, don’t underestimate the power of this accessory.—
Kristine Thomason,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But this cake isn't an exact replica of their earlier chocolate cake, leaving some guests confused about what this cake is.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Some companies kind of got confused [about] what their true role is and how they’re supposed to be delivering value, and that’s getting a bit corrected now.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, said forecasts of an imminent slowdown have been repeatedly wrong, and the economics profession should start grappling with its track record of misjudgments.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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More concerning for the Seahawks than Macdonald’s misjudgment was the fact that Charbonnet’s run wasn’t close to being successful.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Williams, who for many years was the person on KU’s sideline to race onto the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium turf to retrieve the tee after kickoffs, from 1970 until 2020 didn’t miss a KU football home game.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Oct. 2025
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The following clips showed Kourtney and Travis making their way through the scare setup, which included actors dressed up as the film's antagonist The Grabber in the character's terrifying mask, along with a van filled with missing posters for members of Kourtney and Travis' family.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Those investors, knowingly or not, misjudged the adoption curve for electric vehicles and opted to bet on companies that had either just released a first product or had yet to release anything at all.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
9 Oct. 2025
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The team member, who was responsible for the safe conduct of releasing car 16, misjudged the situation and gave unclear instructions to LEC, who could not see NOR’s car.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mistake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistake. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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