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
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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
Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 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
There are a few common mistakes to steer clear of when carrying out tick control on your property.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The Phillies’ left-hander doesn’t make many mistakes.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 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
Anywhere some of those choices turn out to be catastrophic mistakes.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
Find the groups without making four mistakes.
—Mark Cooper, New York Times, 28 May 2026
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
The market focuses on the median dot and often mistakes it for a plan, even though they are derived from 19 separate forecasts and not curated into a policy forecast by the committee.
—Steve Liesman,matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
The agents weren’t focused on the early mistakes made in the case, however.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 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
There are a few common mistakes to steer clear of when carrying out tick control on your property.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 4 June 2026
The Phillies’ left-hander doesn’t make many mistakes.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 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
Anywhere some of those choices turn out to be catastrophic mistakes.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
Find the groups without making four mistakes.
—Mark Cooper, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Verb
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
The market focuses on the median dot and often mistakes it for a plan, even though they are derived from 19 separate forecasts and not curated into a policy forecast by the committee.
—Steve Liesman,matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistakes
Noun
-
Nearly all of them are blunders, offenses or revelations about the people Collins has put in top positions in his House office, his campaign office or both.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
29 May 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
-
The Monarchs banged out 10 hits, stole three bases and took advantage of nine walks, six errors, four hit batters and three wild pitches.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
Pueblo County capitalized on the second of those errors with an insurance run in the fourth.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
But this approach fundamentally misunderstands human social nature.—
Clay Routledge,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
-
According to Massenburg, what the world often misunderstands is that neo-soul was never created as a gimmick for commerce.—
Datwon Thomas,
VIBE.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The Profession Has Grown Up in Public Styling carries emotional labour, financial risk, logistical complexity and a degree of trust that the public often underestimates.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
26 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
-
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
-
The herb’s fragrance confuses and deters pests from eating your peppers.—
Sheryl Geerts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The use of video technology has increased the scrutiny, even though it was never sold as a panacea to the issue of refereeing misjudgments.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Jill Biden misses that, which is understandable.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
-
But the test, developed by Guardant Health, misses more precancerous polyps and early-stage cancers than other methods.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 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 5 Jun. 2026.
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