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
Mark Cooper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Lahren opened the discussion by contrasting today’s climate with the past, noting that traditional PR cleanup has been replaced by a mass horde looking to end lives over minor mistakes.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
More resources available Debt is a focus this month on the In Your Corner podcast, covering common mistakes, practical payoff strategies and guidance on when to seek help.
—Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Basketball is a game full of mistakes.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The mistakes led to New York’s lead rising to as many as 40 points.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
In failing to meaningfully contend with its context, the show veers dangerously close to repeating the mistakes of notorious exhibitions that flatten non-Western artworks into objects meant to be gazed upon.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 May 2026
According to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, mistakes can also be corrected by simply indicating the correction on your original ballot.
—Hector Amezcua, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The difficulty is moving past and learning from the mistakes.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
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
But for every moment of genuine accountability journalism that reminds the public what the press is capable of, there seems to follow another viral post, another sympathetic profile of a terrorist’s grieving relatives, another story that mistakes activism for reporting.
—Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
Find the groups without making four mistakes.
—Mark Cooper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
Lahren opened the discussion by contrasting today’s climate with the past, noting that traditional PR cleanup has been replaced by a mass horde looking to end lives over minor mistakes.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
More resources available Debt is a focus this month on the In Your Corner podcast, covering common mistakes, practical payoff strategies and guidance on when to seek help.
—Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Basketball is a game full of mistakes.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The mistakes led to New York’s lead rising to as many as 40 points.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
In failing to meaningfully contend with its context, the show veers dangerously close to repeating the mistakes of notorious exhibitions that flatten non-Western artworks into objects meant to be gazed upon.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 May 2026
According to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, mistakes can also be corrected by simply indicating the correction on your original ballot.
—Hector Amezcua, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
The difficulty is moving past and learning from the mistakes.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
But for every moment of genuine accountability journalism that reminds the public what the press is capable of, there seems to follow another viral post, another sympathetic profile of a terrorist’s grieving relatives, another story that mistakes activism for reporting.
—Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistakes
Noun
-
Although the mom of four appeared to spend the rest of her night faux pas-free, she's had to handle sartorial blunders before.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
-
There were other conspicuous blunders, like passing from midair out of jumpers and right to Lakers defenders.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
The set was an emotional roller coaster with four deuces and eight service errors by the Highlanders.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
10 May 2026
-
Hawai’i scored in bunches, while unforced errors hurt Long Beach.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
This fundamentally misunderstands physical infrastructure.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Telling the story this way elides, smooths over, and underestimates the role of circumstance and dumb luck.—
Charles Yu,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The odor masks the scent of animals' preferred vegetables and confuses insect pests, including aphids, carrot flies, cabbage worms and loopers, spider mites, thrips, and Japanese beetles.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
3 May 2026
-
The low-performing chefs are Rhoda, whose lamb confuses the kids; Sherry, whose grits were oddly flavored; and Oscar, whose puff pastry soaked up all the deep-fryer oil.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 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
-
But dermatologists say that framing misses the bigger picture.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
6 May 2026
-
Levi’s Levi’s never misses with its sales.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
But the Fed just kind of misjudges what's going on and pushes too hard on interest rates and pushes the economy in.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mistakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistakes. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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