BUNGLE Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

bungle 1 of 2

verb

ˈbəŋ-gəl

Definition of bungle

as in to fumble

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way bungled the job the first time she tried to do it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bungle

2 of 2

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 bungle

Verb

Kylian Mbappe, Romelu Lukaku and Darwin Nunez are some names at the World Cup who have previously bungled a knee slide celebration by diving into the ground, rather than trying to sling themselves along it. — Carl Anka, New York Times, 1 June 2026 For now, the press still sometimes bungled his name as Harry. — Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026

Noun

With suspiciously fortuitous timing, Andy is snapped up as Runway’s new features editor—a move that Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the Si Newhouse-esque head of Elias-Clarke, hopes will salvage what remains of the publication’s credibility in the wake of Miranda’s bungle. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026 In addition to Robinhood’s Platinum card, there is Citi’s $695-per-year Strata Elite, whose debut last year was marred by an application-process bungle that saw the bank freeze thousands of accounts—but which has proved popular nonetheless. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bungle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungle

Verb

After Jordan fumbled away a screen pass, Maiava later found Mosley for that 68-yard score.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Balogun didn’t hurt his stock or his public image by walking away from Everton, a club that fumbled its way through another transfer window.

— Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of fumble

Verb

Scott Schaunaman, a Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department spokesperson, said the contractor accidentally bored into a six-inch, high-pressure gas line from 150 feet away, blowing open a portion of 10th Street.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
Fourteen of those storms originated in the East Pacific, which, with two and a half months of the season still to come, will likely blow past its average seasonal storm total of 15.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of blow

Noun

Meanwhile, the Dodgers added two more insurance runs in the fifth with a solo homer from Ohtani, a double from Pages and a couple of defensive bobbles by the Rockies.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Others secured the football, either cleanly or after a brief bobble.

— David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of bobble

Verb

To me, that would ruin all of the progress baseball has made over the last five years.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
My personal concern is especially based on the fact that their huge need for additional electricity generation could very well ruin our ability to reduce carbon emissions and avoid a climate crisis.

— Martin Kushler, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruin

Verb

Distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment, Witch on the Holy Night will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles as well as dubbed in English.

— Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
The shawarma here is so good, Free Press readers dubbed it the best among 16 restaurants in our April Shawarma Showdown.

— Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of dub

Browse Nearby Words

bunging up

bungle

bungled

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungle. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bungle

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

churlish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes