1
as in blunder
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
committed a huge gaffe when she started drinking from the finger bowl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
so-called debates, which seemed to be mainly about seeing which candidate made the most gaffes
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 gaffe
On Sunday, the 49ers rebounded from the first-play gaffe to deliver a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, capped by Purdy’s 1-yard pass to an open Jake Tonges, who started in place of Kittle.
—
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The errors have ranged from relatively minor pronunciation gaffes to significant changes to story content, like misattributing or inventing quotes and inserting commentary, such as interpreting a source’s quotes as the paper’s position on an issue.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the gaffes were still there, though the blame doesn’t seem to be solely on the streamer.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
The disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City is a big personality in a position of power with numerous scandals and gaffes for Fumudoh to prod at in her signature affably combative style.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The errors have ranged from relatively minor pronunciation gaffes to significant changes to story content, like misattributing or inventing quotes and inserting commentary, such as interpreting a source’s quotes as the paper’s position on an issue.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 11 Dec. 2025
As of mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the gaffes were still there, though the blame doesn’t seem to be solely on the streamer.
—Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 2 Dec. 2025
The disgraced outgoing mayor of New York City is a big personality in a position of power with numerous scandals and gaffes for Fumudoh to prod at in her signature affably combative style.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaffe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaffe
Noun
-
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
-
That was indicative of how Buffalo’s blunders proved costly.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, recruitment mistakes saw their recent troubles compared to United’s since 2013.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
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
-
Elevated prices though have narrowed the margin for error.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Jack, a detective with the sheriff's department, is just trying to keep his indiscretions from being broadcast on the 6 o'clock news.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Shuler, whose play with Riverside helped him gain a scholarship to the University of New Orleans, broke down several times when describing Lorch’s use of a paddle to punish him for indiscretions ranging from not working hard in practice to struggling in a high school French class.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaffe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaffe. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
