ERROR Synonyms: 138 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'error' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of error are blunder , lapse , mistake , and slip . While all these words mean "a departure from what is true, right, or proper," error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this. // procedural errors

Q: When would 'blunder' be a good substitute for 'error'?

While the synonyms blunder and error are close in meaning, blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame. // diplomatic blunders

Q: When can 'lapse' be used instead of 'error'?

The words lapse and error are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause. // a lapse in judgment

Q: When is it sensible to use 'mistake' instead of 'error'?

In some situations, the words mistake and error are roughly equivalent. However, mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error . // dialed the wrong number by mistake

Q: When could 'slip' be used to replace 'error'?

Although the words slip and error have much in common, slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes. // a slip of the tongue

error

noun

ˈer-ər

Definition of error

as in mistake

an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy a report on the earthquake contained several unfortunate errors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in violation

a breaking of a moral or legal code we have all committed errors in our lives and strayed from the path of righteousness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in delusion

a false idea or belief the story only spread the error by repeating the misinterpreted statistics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truth
verity

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun error differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of error are blunder, lapse, mistake, and slip. While all these words mean "a departure from what is true, right, or proper," error suggests the existence of a standard or guide and a straying from the right course through failure to make effective use of this.

procedural errors

When would blunder be a good substitute for error?

While the synonyms blunder and error are close in meaning, blunder regularly imputes stupidity or ignorance as a cause and connotes some degree of blame.

diplomatic blunders

When can lapse be used instead of error?

The words lapse and error are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, lapse stresses forgetfulness, weakness, or inattention as a cause.

a lapse in judgment

When is it sensible to use mistake instead of error?

In some situations, the words mistake and error are roughly equivalent. However, mistake implies misconception or inadvertence and usually expresses less criticism than error.

dialed the wrong number by mistake

When could slip be used to replace error?

Although the words slip and error have much in common, slip stresses inadvertence or accident and applies especially to trivial but embarrassing mistakes.

a slip of the tongue

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 error Voting rights groups had challenged the effort, noting federal data includes errors that have led to citizens being wrongly removed from electoral rolls. — Patrick Marley, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 And while former election officials and law experts who spoke to The Denver Post on Thursday disagreed about the severity of the problem, all agreed the scale of the error is unheard of. — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026 Among those surveyed, Hinson held a 1-percentage-point advantage over Turek, 48% to 47%, well within the 5-point margin of error from the survey. — Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 8 Oct. 2026 After another unforced error later in the third set, Atmane changed things up. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for error

Recent Examples of Synonyms for error

Noun

Still, when an account suddenly asks you to spend money or connect something valuable, a few extra checks can save you from a painful mistake.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
And on Sunday — despite driving with an impressive desperation (that included a heated Stage 2 exchange with his crew chief over the radio) — a few mistakes followed him.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of mistake

Noun

Denny Hamlin served a safety violation after a tire bounced out of his team’s pit box, sending him to the back of the field temporarily.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026
Myriad violations, from food that should’ve been trashed weeks earlier to filthy equipment, befouled the state inspection of a West Miami-Dade supermarket this week.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of violation

Noun

But a line like that also fleshes out the head-in-the-stratosphere delusions of everyone here.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
The company has also been sued by the parents of kids who took their own lives, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged suicide and harmful delusions.

— James Peckham, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of delusion

Noun

The slip didn’t go unnoticed by Mikey Day’s Lorax, who later worked the blunder into the sketch.

— Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
In the seventh inning of a 1-all tie, Teoscar Hernández redeemed himself for another fielding blunder with a single that finally drove dizzying Braves starter Tyler Mahle from the game.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of blunder

Noun

New York City has policies that limit local law enforcement from sharing certain information with federal officers or honoring detainer requests unless immigrants have been convicted of violent crimes.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
All three are crime drama-thrillers, the most exportable and ordered of program types, but all three reject tropes of the genre.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of crime

Noun

Christy orchestrates the elaborate stagecraft that sells the illusion of a bustling organization.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
When the team built a setup to directly quantify real-time heat flux alongside electrical output, the theoretical illusions collapsed.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of illusion

Noun

Now Trump’s folks are rounding up and deporting people who were jailed in their home country for the sin of defending democracy.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
De Biase explained how a snake is associated with Eve and the story of sin in the Bible — but the shoe reframes the connotation of the snake.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of sin

Articles Related to error

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“Error.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/error. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of error

noun

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