as in blunder
somewhat informal
a problem that makes a situation difficult or confusing
A major scheduling snafu led to two meetings starting at the same time.
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Recent Examples of snafu
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are blaming each other for the shutdown and ensuing travel snafus.
—
Joel Rose, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Setup / First Impressions While the Ninja CREAMi is overall pretty intuitive, reading all the instructions can save you from any snafus later.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025
Ben Affleck rolled out his latest project with a minor snafu that made for a funny moment at its premiere.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Some companies, like Levi’s, have seen public sentiment snafus when trying to leverage AI for campaigns in years gone by.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snafu
Joel Rose, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Setup / First Impressions While the Ninja CREAMi is overall pretty intuitive, reading all the instructions can save you from any snafus later.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025
Ben Affleck rolled out his latest project with a minor snafu that made for a funny moment at its premiere.
—Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Some companies, like Levi’s, have seen public sentiment snafus when trying to leverage AI for campaigns in years gone by.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snafu
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snafu
Noun
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The post 9/11 blunders in which Cheney played a part can be tied to the rise of ISIS, perennial instability in the Middle East, the migrant crisis and the crushing debt burden ($38 trillion and counting) that looms over the US economy.—
Ben Wedeman,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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Potential adversaries interpret political action in zero-sum terms; see malice and evil design in mere blunders and coincidence; trumpet necessity rather than navigate choice; and, in extreme cases, invent pretext or promise profit to make more palatable a dubious cause.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That’s because investors often interpret diversity crises as signs of systemic failure, rather than isolated mistakes.—
Prachi Gala,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
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Same for Dax Hill, focusing on going back to work and correcting mistakes.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That does leave retailers less margin for error and requires a better mastery of data analytics to improve demand forecasting—making sure that what is on offer matches what shoppers want.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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Kelly did not disclose what structural engineering issues the building had, but said that the company's structural engineering firm informed Amazon of its error in a statement without elaborating.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snafu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snafu. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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