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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 Mar. 2026
However, there are more and more color-adjacent products coming onto the market that help refresh and add vibrance to your strands without any risk of damaging your hair or causing hard-to-fix mistakes.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Matt Richardson, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Bright Colors Color can play a role in bringing wasps to the yard since wasps may mistake it for food sources such as flowers.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Noun
The first step calls for identifying lessons to learn from a specific mistake or failure, to avoid repeating it in the future.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 7 Mar. 2026
However, there are more and more color-adjacent products coming onto the market that help refresh and add vibrance to your strands without any risk of damaging your hair or causing hard-to-fix mistakes.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
Homebuyers should know which mistakes to protect themselves from to improve their chances of borrowing success this March.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Bright Colors Color can play a role in bringing wasps to the yard since wasps may mistake it for food sources such as flowers.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mistake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistake
Noun
-
With Israel’s borderlands in ruins and hundreds of its citizens taken hostage, the country’s voters could no longer countenance their leader’s quietism, which now looked like a historic blunder.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
-
In the experiments, observers consistently judged everyday blunders to be relatively harmless, even when the person committing them appeared mortified.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While minimally invasive procedures have improved cardiac care, the heart’s complex anatomy and constant motion require rigorous hands-on training to reduce procedural errors.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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Keller said the key for students is learning which AI models fit which tasks, how to write useful prompts and how to check results for errors.—
Wilborn P. Nobles III,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Requiring them to operate as ordinary MPIA applicants misunderstands their role and undermines their purpose.—
Vaughn Stewart,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Mar. 2026
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But people also misunderstand sharia and how it is applied, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.—
Rachel Royster
Updated March 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That means already dire projections about sea level rise might be underestimating the risk.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
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Those who underestimate women’s civic power will discover, as history has shown time and time again, democracy’s most resilient defenders are often the ones who have had to fight hardest to claim their place within it.—
Celina Stewart,
Time,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the fall of 2023, Yanxiao joined Tsinghua University, where his research confused professors who were accustomed to more conventional disciplinary lines.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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But the notice sent last spring was so vague and confusing that few people used it to object.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When everything unraveled Goalkeeper Meagan McClelland’s misjudgment on a high pass into the box allowed Alyssa Bourgeois to equalize in the 43rd minute.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Feb. 2026
-
And no doubt this thinking won’t satisfy those many who feel this was an egregious misjudgment.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fortner, who played college ball at Kentucky, has yet to miss a game due to injury in his NFL career.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
-
James missed his third straight game with his injury.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Strategic pivots often fail—not because of poor ideas or execution but because companies misjudge how attached investors are to their existing strategy.—
Mark DesJardine,
Harvard Business Review,
19 Feb. 2026
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By adjusting force in real time, robots may be able to interact more naturally with fragile objects and unpredictable environments without over-gripping, slipping, or misjudging contact.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistake. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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