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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of faux pas
Featured Skiing in jeans is traditionally a faux pas.
—
The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
For many filmmakers, engaging with any review, let alone those that come from regular people rather than industry professionals, is a major faux pas, but for first-time narrative feature filmmaker RaMell Ross, knowing what people are thinking about his work is half the fun.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 12 Jan. 2025
In 1986, the Trumps agreed to host the annual Palm Beach Preservation Foundation charity ball at Mar-a-Lago, then promptly committed what some called a faux pas.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
In one breath, people acknowledged the social faux pas of the slap while simultaneously defending why resorting to violence in this case was understandable.
—Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faux pas 
The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025
For many filmmakers, engaging with any review, let alone those that come from regular people rather than industry professionals, is a major faux pas, but for first-time narrative feature filmmaker RaMell Ross, knowing what people are thinking about his work is half the fun.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 12 Jan. 2025
In 1986, the Trumps agreed to host the annual Palm Beach Preservation Foundation charity ball at Mar-a-Lago, then promptly committed what some called a faux pas.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
In one breath, people acknowledged the social faux pas of the slap while simultaneously defending why resorting to violence in this case was understandable.
—Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for faux pas
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faux pas
Noun
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Expert instructors will teach you how to get started, practical uses, tips for effective prompt-writing, and mistakes to avoid.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2025
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Don’t act too quickly though, because using your oven’s self-cleaning function could be a huge mistake.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Just like when Trump recently helped legitimize Maduro by sending White House special envoy Richard Grenell to meet with the Venezuelan dictator and pose in smiling pictures with him, Trump’s de facto abandonment of pro-democracy groups in the hemisphere is a major blunder.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2025
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Foreign policy is hard, but this is just a very big early blunder.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Gibney explores her long career, her occasional errors and her innovative work in diagnosing and understanding multiple personality disorder.—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
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Yet, as Attanasio continues to clamp down on spending, his team’s margin for error keeps shrinking.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Faux pas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faux%20pas. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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