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
The Defense Department’s acting inspector general is investigating the first Signal snafu as requested by the Senate Armed Services Committee under Republican Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi and ranking Democratic member Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
—
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025
The focus of the group chat snafu that has consumed Washington this week has shifted to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s mishandling of sensitive military intelligence on an unsecure app.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
The sooner the agency has some stability, the less likely such snafus come close to causing catastrophic damage to American cybersecurity.
—Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
At one point, Erika and Melinda drove a few kilometers in the wrong direction, but that wasn’t even close to the biggest car snafu in Sofia, Bulgaria.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snafu
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025
The focus of the group chat snafu that has consumed Washington this week has shifted to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s mishandling of sensitive military intelligence on an unsecure app.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
The sooner the agency has some stability, the less likely such snafus come close to causing catastrophic damage to American cybersecurity.
—Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
At one point, Erika and Melinda drove a few kilometers in the wrong direction, but that wasn’t even close to the biggest car snafu in Sofia, Bulgaria.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snafu
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snafu
Noun
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Even with good intentions, these salon blunders are better avoided, according to experts.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
19 June 2025
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Other big moments in Trump’s presidency include the leak of U.S. military attack plans to Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, what was widely considered to be the first major blunder of his second term.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
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My family has a history of a lot of the same mistakes, especially among the men.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
27 June 2025
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Jumping onto Andrew Cuomo’s leaky ship was a devastating mistake for the pro-Israel movement.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
27 June 2025
Noun
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With very little margin for error, any misstep could lead to a steep correction.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Making on-time payments, keeping your debt-to-income ratio low and checking your credit report for errors can all help boost your credit score and lower your rates.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Snafu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snafu. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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