as in offence
a socially improper or unsuitable act or remark
the solecism of asking one's hosts how much something in their house cost them
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of solecism
The result is global English but one without the imprecision and solecism implied by that label.
—
Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022
And a single word couldn’t be a dead giveaway either, no matter how much people would like to portray the use of pled rather than pleaded as an obvious Trumpian solecism, especially when Dowd himself has been documented using pled at least once.
—Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2017
But the songwriter Tony Hatch has said he was inspired by Times Square—a solecism forgivable from a Brit.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2017
Solecism slipped into solipsism into full-blown narcissistic projection.
—Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2017
Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2022
And a single word couldn’t be a dead giveaway either, no matter how much people would like to portray the use of pled rather than pleaded as an obvious Trumpian solecism, especially when Dowd himself has been documented using pled at least once.
—Ben Zimmer, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2017
But the songwriter Tony Hatch has said he was inspired by Times Square—a solecism forgivable from a Brit.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2017
Solecism slipped into solipsism into full-blown narcissistic projection.
—Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solecism
Noun
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What happened to Josh Friedman isn’t just an HR blunder.—
Chloe Rogers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 July 2025
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Letting Tommy Kahnle, a reliable arm, walk has turned out to be a massive blunder.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Skull emoji: This emoji is often used to mock someone's mistake or appearance.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
21 July 2025
-
But when mistakes are punished or hidden, innovation stops in its tracks.—
IESE Business School,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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For example, there’s a young private in the novel who has committed several indiscretions—one was purchasing a cow impulsively.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
16 July 2025
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Not by distorting the rules to avoid accountability and amplify his power. — Alisa Kaplan, executive director, Reform for Illinois That was quite an embarrassing word salad of an explanation by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon on his campaign fund indiscretions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Without a robust knowledge foundation, these early wins can mask serious risks—from compliance breaches to costly decision errors.—
Stéphane Donzé,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Pilot error caused the crash, according to a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Solecism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solecism. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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