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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mistakes
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
District Attorney John Creuzot has since assigned two lawyers to check the judgments with district clerks to help prevent mistakes.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Many of the mistakes or inconsistencies that happen in garment manufacturing stem from human error, which CreateMe circumvents.
—Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
Officials’ unwillingness to acknowledge any mistakes has only sharpened residents’ focus on them, functionally bringing to a grinding halt any discourse around how the two groups can work to prevent the next disaster.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Rubio brought his message of unity with Europe – while saying its leaders had also made mistakes.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Fewer players mean fewer rotations and fewer places to recover after mistakes.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Coaches should also prioritize equal playing time and frame mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures, Muñoz adds.
—Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
In environments where young people have few chances to recover from mistakes, those mistakes can be much more damaging, and the temptations can feel more overwhelming.
—Mark Mitchell, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
No one mistakes him for a devout Christian or a person of faith or morality.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
For someone who mistakes dependency as weakness, relying on someone can signal a loss of autonomy.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The stage is thus set for an Eddington-style standoff, as Hegseth arrives in South Park and immediately mistakes the race for an Antifa uprising.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Her unfinished palace becomes a mirror to a culture that mistakes accumulation for meaning.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
My father mistakes it for the verb to bray, like a donkey.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
When the user clicks that link, the browser mistakes the malicious prompt for an instruction from the user—and begins carrying it out.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 7 Oct. 2025
The extensive embellishment of a score by Bobby Krlic (the English musician who records as the Haxan Cloak), drenched in moody synths and guitar, fits the tone but also adds to the nagging sense that the younger Day-Lewis’ storytelling too often mistakes padding for atmosphere.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
In February 2025, NASA hired an independent team to determine why the mission failed, examining everything from broken hardware to leadership mistakes.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026
District Attorney John Creuzot has since assigned two lawyers to check the judgments with district clerks to help prevent mistakes.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Many of the mistakes or inconsistencies that happen in garment manufacturing stem from human error, which CreateMe circumvents.
—Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
Officials’ unwillingness to acknowledge any mistakes has only sharpened residents’ focus on them, functionally bringing to a grinding halt any discourse around how the two groups can work to prevent the next disaster.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Rubio brought his message of unity with Europe – while saying its leaders had also made mistakes.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Fewer players mean fewer rotations and fewer places to recover after mistakes.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Coaches should also prioritize equal playing time and frame mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures, Muñoz adds.
—Kris Ann Valdez, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
In environments where young people have few chances to recover from mistakes, those mistakes can be much more damaging, and the temptations can feel more overwhelming.
—Mark Mitchell, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
In the end, Gail mistakes Paul for a burglar and sends a mob of angry neighbors after him.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
No one mistakes him for a devout Christian or a person of faith or morality.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
For someone who mistakes dependency as weakness, relying on someone can signal a loss of autonomy.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The stage is thus set for an Eddington-style standoff, as Hegseth arrives in South Park and immediately mistakes the race for an Antifa uprising.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Her unfinished palace becomes a mirror to a culture that mistakes accumulation for meaning.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
My father mistakes it for the verb to bray, like a donkey.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
When the user clicks that link, the browser mistakes the malicious prompt for an instruction from the user—and begins carrying it out.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 7 Oct. 2025
The extensive embellishment of a score by Bobby Krlic (the English musician who records as the Haxan Cloak), drenched in moody synths and guitar, fits the tone but also adds to the nagging sense that the younger Day-Lewis’ storytelling too often mistakes padding for atmosphere.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistakes
Noun
-
The two even argued about the 2008 parking meter deal, one of the city’s biggest financial blunders.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Even with good intentions, these salon blunders are better avoided, according to experts.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Boston scored three runs apiece in the seventh and ninth, while the Twins made four errors in the contest.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The prosecution detailed nine separate errors made by Plamberger during the climb—from failing to bring bivy gear to failing to abide by a reasonable turnaround time—which collectively suggest a charge of gross negligence.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But this misunderstands the nature of the problem.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The profit accusation also misunderstands that vaccine payments don’t go into physicians’ pockets.—
Jess Steier,
STAT,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But national security officials counter that this underestimates what's at stake.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
As always, Keaton drastically underestimates herself.—
Hadley Hall Meares,
Vanity Fair,
26 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
No one confuses kilowatt-hours with productivity, yet no serious economy flies blind without tracking them.—
Noosheen Hashemi,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Where the Roma obscured the line between a classic grand tourer and a sports car with supercar tendencies, the Amalfi confuses things further.—
Jonny Lieberman,
Robb Report,
17 Jan. 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
-
The consumer misses information about a large rate increase.—
Dave Lieber,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
That framing misses what this effort means for families in our community.—
Shane Strum,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 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 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
