dramatic error

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "dramatic error" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a significant or impactful mistake, often in contexts such as literature, film, or any situation where the error has considerable consequences. Example: "The director's decision to change the ending resulted in a dramatic error that left audiences confused and dissatisfied."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

It's a dramatic error to have too many a set, as casual fans will lose interest.

The New Yorker

Central bankers and other regulators bear responsibility too, for mishandling the crisis, for failing to keep economic imbalances in check and for failing to exercise proper oversight of financial institutions.The regulators' most dramatic error was to let Lehman Brothers go bankrupt.

The Economist

But I can say that in speech recognition, computer vision object recognition, the game of Go, and other fields, the difference has been dramatic: error rates go down when you use deep learning, and both these fields have undergone a complete transformation in the last few years: essentially all the teams have chosen deep learning, because it just works.

Huffington Post

Fractional polynomials can be fitted for narrow intervals, but as the polynomial functions may tend towards plus or minus infinity, it is difficult to fit one fractional polynomial over the wide age ranges needed without experiencing what is called Runge's phenomenon, where the included data points are fitted very well, but with dramatic error between them.

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

"Sometimes we'll launch things that we think are popular but don't end up being popular, but there's never been any kind of dramatic errors.

TechCrunch

If there were more than one disease gene in the ICCA region, determining a single and consensus critical region could lead to dramatic errors – notwithstanding artifacts of wrong genome assembly.

Plosone

"Flyspecks" because of dust on the printing plates, or "donuts" because of an air bubble on an offset printing plate are not as valuable as more dramatic errors or errors that were constant throughout the stamp's print run.

WikiHow

Although many middle-income countries — in Asia and Latin America as well as Russia — said goodbye to the I.M.F. after its dramatic policy errors of the late 1990s — they all, including even China, have a collective interest in fixing fund policy.

The New York Times

But Williams produced a highest break of just 22 before the mid-session interval and, with the score at 4-2, missed chances in a dramatic and error-ridden seventh frame.

BBC

Although many middle income countries - in Asia and Latin America, and also Russia - said goodbye to the IMF after its dramatic policy errors of the late 1990s - they all, including even China, have a collective interest in fixing IMF policy because it influences the world economy.

Huffington Post

Because ectopic periclinal divisions in the somatic cells cause dramatic developmental errors in anthers and result in male sterility (Timofejeva et al. 2013), tight regulation of this process appears to be essential to allow meiosis to proceed even if the AR are apparently normal, as in mac1 (Wang et al. 2012b).

G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "dramatic error" when you want to emphasize the significant impact or consequences of a mistake. It's stronger than simply saying "mistake" or "error".

Common error

Avoid using "dramatic error" too frequently in your writing. Overuse can diminish its impact. Opt for synonyms or rephrase sentences to maintain variety and emphasis when truly warranted.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "dramatic error" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "dramatic" intensifies the noun "error". It highlights the magnitude and impact of the mistake, as supported by Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Academia

10%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "dramatic error" is used to describe a significant mistake with notable consequences. Ludwig AI analysis confirms its grammatical correctness, reveals its common usage in news, media and science, and notes its appropriateness for neutral to formal registers. While not the most frequent expression, its power lies in emphasizing the magnitude of a mistake. Alternatives like "significant mistake" or "serious blunder" can provide variety. While Ludwig provides support and context, remember to avoid overuse of "dramatic error" to maintain its impact within your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

significant mistake

Emphasizes the importance and impact of the error.

colossal mistake

Highlights the immense size and impact of the mistake.

serious blunder

Highlights the severity and clumsiness of the error.

catastrophic error

Highlights the disastrous consequences of the error.

major oversight

Focuses on the neglect or failure to notice something important.

terrible error

Focuses on the negative and unfortunate nature of the error.

critical failure

Stresses the importance and the resulting breakdown.

egregious mistake

Emphasizes the shocking or outstandingly bad nature of the error.

grave miscalculation

Emphasizes the seriousness and the faulty judgment involved.

monumental screw-up

Uses informal language to denote a large and damaging error.

FAQs

How can I use "dramatic error" in a sentence?

You can use "dramatic error" to describe a significant mistake that leads to noticeable or impactful consequences. For example: "The regulator's most "dramatic error" was to let Lehman Brothers go bankrupt."

What phrases are similar to "dramatic error"?

Alternatives to "dramatic error" include "significant mistake", "serious blunder", or "major oversight" depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "dramatic error" instead of "mistake"?

"Dramatic error" is appropriate when the mistake has significant and far-reaching consequences. "Mistake" is a more general term, while "dramatic error" implies a higher level of impact.

Is "dramatic error" a formal or informal expression?

"Dramatic error" is generally considered a neutral to formal expression, suitable for news articles, reports, and academic papers. Informal contexts may benefit from alternatives like "major screw-up" depending on the tone.