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GRE vocabulary

gaffe

nounHigh-frequency wordMore G words

an embarrassing social mistake or blunder, especially in a public setting

Word origin: From French gaffe, a blunder.

In a sentence

Gaffe in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing gaffe in a sentence.

His gaffe at the press conference dominated news coverage for days.

A single gaffe in the televised debate overshadowed an otherwise disciplined campaign.

Synonyms
blunderfaux pasindiscretionmistake
Antonyms

None listed.

Usage & nuance

Using “gaffe” well

A gaffe is an embarrassing, usually unintentional social or verbal blunder, especially one made publicly. It implies a lapse of tact or judgment rather than deliberate wrongdoing.

Common questions

Questions about “gaffe

Gaffe (noun) means an embarrassing social mistake or blunder, especially in a public setting
Here is gaffe used in an example sentence: "His gaffe at the press conference dominated news coverage for days." Another example: "A single gaffe in the televised debate overshadowed an otherwise disciplined campaign."
Common synonyms for gaffe include blunder, faux pas, indiscretion, mistake.
Clusters with blunder, faux pas, and indiscretion in Sentence Equivalence. With no standard antonym, the GRE tests it through these near-synonyms for an embarrassing public mistake.
Yes. Gaffe is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.