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 Rams did just enough to beat a bumbling Giants team that fell to 5-11.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2024
Led by the bumbling Sarge and the cynical Church, the soldiers navigate absurd situations and misunderstandings with a mix of humor and sci-fi elements.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
His bumbling, glasses-nudging Clark Kent was an exquisite screwball-comedy creation, and his Superman zipped through the skies with sublime aerodynamic sexiness.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024
Rufo was silent about Kennedy’s thin resume or his bumbling efforts to lead the state’s flagship university system.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 19 Jan. 2024
Set in 1953 after the titular dictator’s passing, the film revels in the chaotic, messy, bumbling power struggle that ensues among figures like Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi) and Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor).
—Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2024
With his zeal for Jesus sweaters and his living-room church organ, Bernie plays the bumbling househusband to his successful businesswoman wife Eva (Alicia Silverstone), and father to his diligent scientist son Adam (Walt Klink) and moody shut-in daughter Sarah (Gaite Jansen).
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024
Who is Zellner’s aggressive and bumbling Sasquatch to the other three?
Humiliated and still horny, Zellner’s Sasquatch lumbers through the forest.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2024
Finally, the entrepreneur encountered fresh obstacles thrown in his path by Germany’s fractious and bumbling tripartite coalition in Berlin.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2024
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2024
Led by the bumbling Sarge and the cynical Church, the soldiers navigate absurd situations and misunderstandings with a mix of humor and sci-fi elements.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
His bumbling, glasses-nudging Clark Kent was an exquisite screwball-comedy creation, and his Superman zipped through the skies with sublime aerodynamic sexiness.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024
Rufo was silent about Kennedy’s thin resume or his bumbling efforts to lead the state’s flagship university system.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 19 Jan. 2024
Set in 1953 after the titular dictator’s passing, the film revels in the chaotic, messy, bumbling power struggle that ensues among figures like Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi) and Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor).
—Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2024
With his zeal for Jesus sweaters and his living-room church organ, Bernie plays the bumbling househusband to his successful businesswoman wife Eva (Alicia Silverstone), and father to his diligent scientist son Adam (Walt Klink) and moody shut-in daughter Sarah (Gaite Jansen).
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2024
Who is Zellner’s aggressive and bumbling Sasquatch to the other three?
Humiliated and still horny, Zellner’s Sasquatch lumbers through the forest.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2024
Finally, the entrepreneur encountered fresh obstacles thrown in his path by Germany’s fractious and bumbling tripartite coalition in Berlin.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2024
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 Apr. 2024.
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