as in blunder
somewhat informal
a problem that makes a situation difficult or confusing
A major scheduling snafu led to two meetings starting at the same time.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of snafu
Rather than addressing administrative snafus with a scalpel, DOGE risks creating constitutional ones with its axe.
—
Thomas J. Greitens, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2025
And the snafus with the Teleprompter (poor Ariana DeBose) didn’t make the situation any better.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2025
In Erie County, which is a swing county, could be very important, the local vendor that provided the mail-in ballots had some significant snafus and thousands possibly of ballots, either arrived at the wrong addresses or didn't arrive at all.
—ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024
Flashback: American isn't the only airline to have suffered holiday snafus.
—Ben Berkowitz, Axios, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snafu 
Thomas J. Greitens, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2025
And the snafus with the Teleprompter (poor Ariana DeBose) didn’t make the situation any better.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2025
In Erie County, which is a swing county, could be very important, the local vendor that provided the mail-in ballots had some significant snafus and thousands possibly of ballots, either arrived at the wrong addresses or didn't arrive at all.
—ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024
Flashback: American isn't the only airline to have suffered holiday snafus.
—Ben Berkowitz, Axios, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for snafu
Recent Examples of Synonyms for snafu
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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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
-
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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The intended answer, 88 ounces, indicated that a programming or grading error had been made after the child had handed the paper over.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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Maybe there are good reasons why Matty’s making so many unforced errors.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
6 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near snafu
Cite this Entry
“Snafu.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/snafu. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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