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
Travel insurance policies offer a financial backstop to buyers for various unforeseen snafus, like having to pay for medical care abroad or for a hotel room after a flight delay or cancellation.
—
Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
The segment ultimately became widely available online thanks to a snafu involving the show’s Canadian broadcast partner.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 1 Jan. 2026
The crowd was undaunted by the technical snafu.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
And has the Silent Assassin emotionally recovered from her infamous Knowledge Is Power snafu?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snafu
Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
The segment ultimately became widely available online thanks to a snafu involving the show’s Canadian broadcast partner.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 1 Jan. 2026
The crowd was undaunted by the technical snafu.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
And has the Silent Assassin emotionally recovered from her infamous Knowledge Is Power snafu?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for snafu
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snafu
Noun
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The blunder in the Supreme Court of Victoria state is another in a litany of mishaps AI has caused in justice systems around the world.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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That was indicative of how Buffalo’s blunders proved costly.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Instead, recruitment mistakes saw their recent troubles compared to United’s since 2013.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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The open availability of this kind of material poses a threat not only to migrants and activists but anyone with a digital footprint, because depending on AI to sort through it will inevitably lead to mistakes.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Medal reallocations have historically surfaced after doping or other cheating cases, but Chiles’ dispute centered on an apparent error by the International Gymnastics Federation, the sport’s governing body.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Elevated prices though have narrowed the margin for error.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Snafu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snafu. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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