as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
the solecism of asking one's hosts how much something in their house cost them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 solecism
The result is global English but one without the imprecision and solecism implied by that label.
—
Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022
And a single word couldn’t be a dead giveaway either, no matter how much people would like to portray the use of pled rather than pleaded as an obvious Trumpian solecism, especially when Dowd himself has been documented using pled at least once.
—Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2017
Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022
And a single word couldn’t be a dead giveaway either, no matter how much people would like to portray the use of pled rather than pleaded as an obvious Trumpian solecism, especially when Dowd himself has been documented using pled at least once.
—Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solecism
Noun
-
Also Sunday, Deniz Undav scored for the fifth Bundesliga game in a row as a goalkeeping blunder handed Stuttgart a 1-0 win over Leipzig to strengthen its push to qualify for the Champions League.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Problems with the city’s rollout of the trash and Balboa Park parking programs didn’t help, and further built on City Hall’s history of operational snafus and policy blunders.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Wahlin said that there’s a difference between making a mistake and making a hard-working mistake.—
Dean Spiros,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Mikaela Shiffrin improved from 12th following a costly mistake in the opening run to finish fifth and protect her lead in the overall standings.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And right now, Taylor cannot stop herself from initiating phone sex with Dakota even while sobbing over his indiscretions at Vanderpump Villa.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
These reported indiscretions — on which Wasserman did not comment — caused a stir at the time but seemed to fade as weeks went by.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Republicans have a tiny majority in the House, but a larger margin for error in the Senate, except for the filibuster.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Simply put, if a human operator senses something is going wrong, the robot should react before the error escalates.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Miss Manners is not aware of this being a specifically American gaffe.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Adding to the pressure, DeRosa’s gaffe has taken on a life of its own.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Solecism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solecism. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
