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Synonyms

snafu

American  
[sna-foo, snaf-oo] / snæˈfu, ˈsnæf u /

noun

  1. a badly confused or ridiculously muddled situation.

    A ballot snafu in the election led to a recount.
    Synonyms:
    foul-up, mess, confusion, disorder, disarray, bedlam, snarl
    Antonyms:
    order, organization, calm

  2. an error or miscalculation, especially one leading to a confused or muddled situation.

    After some snafu deleted all my data files, I've finally managed to rebuild everything—I think!

adjective

  1. Also snafued in disorder; out of control; chaotic.

    What you’re proposing is a snafu scheme that simply won't work.

verb (used with object)

snafued, snafuing

  1. to throw into disorder; muddle.

    Losing his passport snafued the whole vacation.
    Synonyms:
    bungle, mess up, spoil
snafu British  
/ snæˈfuː /

noun

  1. confusion or chaos regarded as the normal state

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. (postpositive) confused or muddled up, as usual

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to throw into chaos

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of snafu

First recorded in 1940–45; s(ituation) n(ormal): a(ll) f(ucked) u(p); sometimes euphemistically construed as f(ouled) u(p)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the end, it turned out to be a more mundane scheduling snafu.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

The snafu followed an American flight to the East Coast in November, when Quigley and Mittman said that American misplaced one of their bags.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Jefferies analyst Randal Konik, in a note on Tuesday afternoon, also said the Get Low snafu marked a hit to Lululemon’s reputation.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026

One: Thirty years ago on VIA Rail’s cross-country Canadian train from Vancouver to Toronto, a snafu down the line forced us off of the train’s usual route through the Rockies.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

I imagined the usual plots—a helicopter rescue, a tunnel, a paperwork snafu and mistaken release.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.