1
as in blunders
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
Relevance
2
as in errors
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 misunderstands
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in underestimates
to make an incorrect judgment regarding
you seriously mistake me if you think I scare so easily
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in confuses
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related
she mistook physical attraction for love
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mistakes
Troy Holaday, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
But Boutros has acknowledged mistakes made in the case involving the Broadview protesters.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Peerwani retired in 2021 following the discovery of dozens of mistakes in autopsies done under his direction.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
There are common mistakes people make at home that could be costly to the skin, such as skipping proper sterilization.
—Lauren Finney Harden, AJC.com, 10 June 2026
How everything is under such public scrutiny, especially being a young person and still figuring yourself out and making mistakes.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Bass acknowledged her mistakes during the campaign, said Gonzalez, a former head of the county Democratic Party.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
But Democrats don’t need to repeat the mistakes made by Republicans.
—Shannon A. Mullen, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Don’t Turn It Into an Interrogation One of the biggest mistakes interviewers make is treating conversations like a checklist.
—King Holder, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2026
Britton Bloch, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Huxley’s critique is clear; America mistakes body for spirit, promiscuously confusing the physical with the metaphysical.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
When Ava interrupts to bring Deborah her cell phone, Kelly mistakes Ava for Deborah’s girlfriend and has a new understanding of her foe.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 8 May 2026
The Suns didn’t help themselves with 19 turnovers, mistakes Oklahoma City turned into 34 points.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
In a category that often mistakes complexity and aggression for innovation, this kind of approach is surprisingly rare.
—New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
Seasonal allergies happen when the immune system mistakes something harmless in the environment, such as pollen, as a danger, setting off reactions and symptoms that can turn spring from a gift into an ordeal.
—Matt Fuchs, Scientific American, 15 Apr. 2026
In another scene, Peet’s character is asked for an autograph by a young woman who mistakes her for the actor Lake Bell.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Chicken allergies occur when the body's immune system mistakes chicken as a harmful invader, triggering an allergic reaction.
—Lindsey Desoto, Health, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
The issue is not that AI makes mistakes—human decision-making is also imperfect—but that models operate at a scale and speed that rapidly amplifies those errors faster than they can be discovered and addressed.
—Troy Holaday, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
But Boutros has acknowledged mistakes made in the case involving the Broadview protesters.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Peerwani retired in 2021 following the discovery of dozens of mistakes in autopsies done under his direction.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
There are common mistakes people make at home that could be costly to the skin, such as skipping proper sterilization.
—Lauren Finney Harden, AJC.com, 10 June 2026
How everything is under such public scrutiny, especially being a young person and still figuring yourself out and making mistakes.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Bass acknowledged her mistakes during the campaign, said Gonzalez, a former head of the county Democratic Party.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
But Democrats don’t need to repeat the mistakes made by Republicans.
—Shannon A. Mullen, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Don’t Turn It Into an Interrogation One of the biggest mistakes interviewers make is treating conversations like a checklist.
—King Holder, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2026
Verb
Over time, these habits become normalized, and the team mistakes low conflict for health.
—Britton Bloch, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Huxley’s critique is clear; America mistakes body for spirit, promiscuously confusing the physical with the metaphysical.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
When Ava interrupts to bring Deborah her cell phone, Kelly mistakes Ava for Deborah’s girlfriend and has a new understanding of her foe.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 8 May 2026
The Suns didn’t help themselves with 19 turnovers, mistakes Oklahoma City turned into 34 points.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
In a category that often mistakes complexity and aggression for innovation, this kind of approach is surprisingly rare.
—New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
Seasonal allergies happen when the immune system mistakes something harmless in the environment, such as pollen, as a danger, setting off reactions and symptoms that can turn spring from a gift into an ordeal.
—Matt Fuchs, Scientific American, 15 Apr. 2026
In another scene, Peet’s character is asked for an autograph by a young woman who mistakes her for the actor Lake Bell.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Chicken allergies occur when the body's immune system mistakes chicken as a harmful invader, triggering an allergic reaction.
—Lindsey Desoto, Health, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistakes
Noun
-
Read on to see the beauty blunders, silly styling and overall head-to-toe outfits that these stars regret.—
Tanisha Bhat,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
-
But blunders and poor rotations and missed rebounds piled up as the Sky allowed their highest point total of the season.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
This redundancy allows the system to correct errors that naturally creep in.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Aug. 2025
-
While a necropsy found that the leash and IV tubes did not contribute to the dog’s death, the shelter conducted an internal review and promised accountability for any missteps, acknowledging that procedural errors were made.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In a way, the old joke about the doughnut and coffee cup misunderstands the power of topological thinking.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
20 May 2026
-
This latter position fundamentally misunderstands the PRC’s determination to absorb Taiwan; expressing weakness is more likely to invite a Chinese invasion.—
Michelle Kuo,
The Dial,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If anything, the Texas study probably underestimates the economic impact of college attainment.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
Andy Sachs starts off as the girl everyone underestimates, then proceeds to survive the highs and lows of working for Runway magazine in The Devil Wears Prada.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There is a version of leadership that confuses visibility with impact, equating big initiatives and dramatic turnarounds with strong leadership.—
Monica Cutia,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
The whole concept of toxic fandom confuses me because, outside of the anger and backwards thinking, because who cares about a movie franchise that much?—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Ullrich stresses the role of tactical mistakes and misjudgments, not least by the far left, which shortsightedly refused to compromise its beliefs and join with more moderate groups to oppose democratic backsliding.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Yes, a new Steven Spielberg movie about close encounters with extraterrestrials is landing — and misses the mark.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Dart’s reliance on underneath throws for minimal completions, some inside throws into traffic and plenty of downfield misses — like an overthrow of Fields in one-on-one coverage against rookie corner Colton Hood — create plenty of reason for urgency from John Harbaugh and the Giants.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Too often, philanthropy misjudges where the real risk lies.—
Abigail Disney,
Time,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Home designer Allisa Jacobs wrote in a blog post that AI routinely misjudges the proportions and sizes of rooms and furniture, suggesting pieces that wouldn’t realistically fit in the space.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mistakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistakes. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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