bumbling
adjective
bum·bling
ˈbəm-b(ə-)liŋ 
: awkwardly blundering or faltering
a bumbling speaker
: prone to or marked by foolish mistakes
a bumbling attempt to fix the problem
… many Americans see the F.D.A. as bumbling and inefficient …—
Herbert Burkholz
Herbert Burkholz
bumblingly
adverb
… none of them truly wants him in her home while he tries, bumblingly, to get his act together …
—Laura Collins-Hughes
Laura Collins-Hughes
Examples of bumbling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And the bumbling nature of Lesgate, with Jones playing the internal conflicts sharply, comes with succumbing to the horrid nature of what money can bring.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Going back to tonight’s episode, in one of the most surprising, out-of-nowhere hookups, the bumbling new intern Dani made a move on Lucas (Niko Tehro), still grieving patient Katie’s death, who, somewhat inexplicably, jumped into bed with her right away.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
Michael Shannon plays the lead role to perfection as does Nick Offerman as the bumbling, drunkard vice president who inherits the office.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
House, a Kiwi familiar from various Taika Waititi projects including the recent TV adaptation of Time Bandits, is a constance source of unexpected danger, while Hughes, George Mason and Matuse all get good moments as her variably bumbling henchmen.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
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David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Going back to tonight’s episode, in one of the most surprising, out-of-nowhere hookups, the bumbling new intern Dani made a move on Lucas (Niko Tehro), still grieving patient Katie’s death, who, somewhat inexplicably, jumped into bed with her right away.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
Michael Shannon plays the lead role to perfection as does Nick Offerman as the bumbling, drunkard vice president who inherits the office.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
House, a Kiwi familiar from various Taika Waititi projects including the recent TV adaptation of Time Bandits, is a constance source of unexpected danger, while Hughes, George Mason and Matuse all get good moments as her variably bumbling henchmen.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bumbling
Cite this Entry
“Bumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumbling. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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