botched

adjective

ˈbächt 

: unsuccessful because of being poorly done : spoiled by mistakes

a botched attempt

a botched recipe

a botched medical procedure

Synonyms of botched

• clumsy
• awkward

Examples of botched in a Sentence

a botched attempt to mend relations with our disaffected European allies

Recent Examples on the Web

When he's appointed interim sheriff of a tiny Minnesota town, Ulysses Richardson intervenes in a botched bank robbery, discovering a stash of gold and heavy weapons that belong to a Yakuza crime syndicate. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026

Observers worry about his fund-raising strategy, the botched autopsy rollout, the mood in the office. — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026

Also on Wednesday, a botched car bomb detonated prematurely, killing three people at a nearby home and also eight militants who were rigging the explosives. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Through the help of new and old audio tapes and Manson family members, Berlinger argues that the murderous rampage began with a botched drug deal by a man named Bobby Beausoleil. — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for botched

• debauched
• notched
• watched