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
The creature turns out to be a child trying to find her way home, and she's being pursued by pleasantly bumbling agents from the Ministry of Alien Detection.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 20 July 2024
While the film wasn't a huge critical or commercial success, Dunaway's over-the-top performance as a sultry and stylish — if slightly bumbling — witch still has its fans.
—John Russell, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024
From performative, macho shows of force like the bumbling Keystone Cops-like invasion of Columbia University to dangerous high-speed chases of suspects on busy city streets, New York’s Finest aren’t looking particularly competent lately.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
As always, Gromit plays detective and action hero while the bumbling Wallace is just lucky to be along for the ride.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bumbling 
Danny Horn, EW.com, 20 July 2024
While the film wasn't a huge critical or commercial success, Dunaway's over-the-top performance as a sultry and stylish — if slightly bumbling — witch still has its fans.
—John Russell, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024
From performative, macho shows of force like the bumbling Keystone Cops-like invasion of Columbia University to dangerous high-speed chases of suspects on busy city streets, New York’s Finest aren’t looking particularly competent lately.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
As always, Gromit plays detective and action hero while the bumbling Wallace is just lucky to be along for the ride.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bumbling
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bumbling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumbling. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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