bumbling

adjective

bum·​bling ˈbəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce bumbling (audio)
: 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
bumblingly adverb
… none of them truly wants him in her home while he tries, bumblingly, to get his act together … Laura Collins-Hughes

Examples of bumbling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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This further exacerbates Joe's measly sheriff's office, consisting of two deputies who now double as his bumbling campaign staff. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 18 July 2025 Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge The Doctor Foster and The Crown actor will portray the bumbling and ineffectual Minister for Magic during Harry's time at Hogwarts. Marni Rose McFall Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 July 2025 The Oscar-winning director was recognized for his guest spot in The Studio, Apple’s comedy from Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen about a fictitious studio and its bumbling new leader. Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 July 2025 The way Victor reads on camera—brilliant but a little bumbling, at turns sturdy and too vulnerable to live—is exactly how the characters’ friends receive her. Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bumbling

Word History

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumbling was in 1660

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Cite this Entry

“Bumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumbling. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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