snafu

[ sna-foo, snaf-oo ]

/ snæˈfu, ˈsnæf u /

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See synonyms for: snafu / snafuing on Thesaurus.com

noun

a badly confused or ridiculously muddled situation: A ballot snafu in the election led to a recount.

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

Also sna·fued . in disorder; out of control; chaotic: What you’re proposing is a snafu scheme that simply won't work.

verb (used with object), sna·fued, sna·fu·ing.

to throw into disorder; muddle: Losing his passport snafued the whole vacation.

OTHER WORDS FOR snafu

1 snarl, bedlam, disarray, disorder, confusion, mess; foul-up.

4 spoil, mess up, bungle.

See synonyms for snafu on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR snafu

1 calm, organization, order, orderliness.

See antonyms for snafu on Thesaurus.com

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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)

Words nearby snafu

snack, snack bar, snackette, snack table, snaffle, snafu, snag, snaggletooth, snaggy, snail, snail cam

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use snafu in a sentence

The reasons include confusion about how the complex program works, IRS missteps, technical snafus and Treasury Department policy decisions that cut out large groups of people altogether.
Millions Still Haven’t Gotten Stimulus Checks, Including Many Who Need Them Most|by Lydia DePillis|October 30, 2020|ProPublica
Zuckerberg went AWOL from the opening statements because of a technical snafu that ended up delaying the hearing for a few minutes while the CEO tried to fix the problem.
4 key moments from the Senate’s showdown with Big Tech CEOs|Danielle Abril|October 28, 2020|Fortune
It’s unclear, though, what caused the Apple live-stream snafu and whether or not it was deliberate.
Apple’s 5G iPhone debut didn’t go as planned in the world’s biggest 5G market|Grady McGregor|October 14, 2020|Fortune
In summary, it seems like states are getting better at avoiding election snafus — and hopefully this means they will be minimal in November.
We’ve Had 56 Statewide Elections During The Pandemic. Here’s What We Learned From Them.|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 1, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

That means extra work for Stadia developers who have to port their existing games to Stadia's environment, which can sometimes lead to apparent graphical snafus.
Amazon Luna servers will run Windows games directly on Nvidia T4 GPUs|Kyle Orland|September 25, 2020|Ars Technica
When he was first incarcerated, he says some sort of paperwork snafu had him imprisoned under two different, but similar, names.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It may either be a legal snafu or a general backlash that has led Lulu to make a major change to how the app operates.
The Lulu App is Ruining Dating|Emily Shire|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He might be interested to know that Apple fired the manager responsible for the last major snafu the company encountered.
Obama Can’t Blame the Republicans This Time|Kirsten Powers|October 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
SNAFU—“situation normal: all f--ked up,” as soldiers used to say—was the default position for American policy.
In Search of the Obama Doctrine|Christopher Dickey|July 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Grammys snafu, however, shows a certain lack of humility.
Justin Bieber Freaks Out Over Grammys, Feuds With the Black Keys|Marlow Stern|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Everything was in apple-pie order, except for the snafu in Arzachel, Crag thought bitterly.
First on the Moon|Jeff Sutton
"We're not giving her a chance to snafu the works," Gotch said grimly.
First on the Moon|Jeff Sutton

British Dictionary definitions for snafu

snafu

/ (snæˈfuː) slang mainly military /

noun

confusion or chaos regarded as the normal state

adjective

(postpositive) confused or muddled up, as usual

verb -fus, -fuing or -fued

(tr) US and Canadian to throw into chaos

Word Origin for snafu

C20: from s (ituation) n (ormal): a (ll) f (ucked or ouled) u (p)

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

snafu

OTHER WORDS FOR snafu

OPPOSITES FOR snafu

Origin of snafu

Words nearby snafu

Words related to snafu

How to use snafu in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for snafu

Word Origin for snafu