as in mistake
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
according to an oft-told story, the queen set a guest at ease about a faux pas by politely imitating it
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Recent Examples of faux pas
For some, microwaving fish in the employee lunch room is the ultimate work faux pas.
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Ars Technica, 30 Oct. 2024
Lisa Richey, Founder of Manners to Go As a guest, the biggest Thanksgiving faux pas is steering the conversation toward politics.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
In the movie, this theme is played out as Jimmy’s spirit grows more and more malevolent, showing that disrupting the natural order of life and death isn’t just a faux pas in the realm of witchcraft but a dangerous road that can never truly lead to happiness or closure.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
Sending out a gift list unprompted, for example, could be a pearl-clutching faux pas.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faux pas 
Ars Technica, 30 Oct. 2024
Lisa Richey, Founder of Manners to Go As a guest, the biggest Thanksgiving faux pas is steering the conversation toward politics.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
In the movie, this theme is played out as Jimmy’s spirit grows more and more malevolent, showing that disrupting the natural order of life and death isn’t just a faux pas in the realm of witchcraft but a dangerous road that can never truly lead to happiness or closure.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024
Sending out a gift list unprompted, for example, could be a pearl-clutching faux pas.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faux pas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faux pas
Noun
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Then there were lesson plans, radon measurements, lead tests, plumbing and fire safety checks, and blueprints, each done according to very specific requirements where any mistakes would set them back months more.ProPublica, ProPublica, 10 Jan. 2025
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Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles County supervisor, said on X that the alert was a mistake.Janhvi Bhojwani, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But if a goalkeeper blunders like Illan Meslier did at Hull City (above) on Saturday, patience is going to be tested.Phil Hay, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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Finally, Assad’s fall has fueled domestic discontent among loyalists to the regime in Tehran, with some calling the loss a strategic blunder and openly criticizing the government on state television.Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft, or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of the Media.USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
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There’s very little room for error if growth does not accelerate in the coming years.Trefis Team, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near faux pas
Cite this Entry
“Faux pas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faux%20pas. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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