bumpier; bumpiest
1
: having or covered with bumps
2
a
: marked by bumps or jolts
b
: marked by or full of difficulties
bumpily adverb
bumpiness noun

Examples of bumpy in a Sentence

The road is very bumpy. the bumpy skin of a cucumber The flight was very bumpy. The road was rough so we had a bumpy ride.
Recent Examples on the Web Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge This aligns with how many other companies have rolled out support for Matter, which has had a bumpy start. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024 But building new things in California is hard because of the state’s political culture, which includes a strong dose of not-in-my-backyard, or NIMBY, opposition, at both the grassroots and zoning levels, so a bumpy start isn’t surprising. Janie Har, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 Morejon has limped along a bumpy medical road that included Tommy John surgery after his second start of 2021. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024 Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame Tennessee is likely in for a bumpy transition as first-year coach Brian Callahan takes over for Mike Vrabel. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The world’s fourth-largest economy has got off to a bumpy start this year. Hanna Ziady, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024 During one stretch, Johnson, Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards battled for the lead, slipping and bouncing around the 2.0-mile track’s old, bumpy surface. David Scott, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 You’re left enduring a bumpy ride on a road to nowhere, in other words, and neither the film’s wane familiarity nor its welcome, pro-smut good intentions can make the journey worthwhile. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024 And the start of Ware’s time in Bloomington was bumpy. Zion Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bumpy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumpy was in 1769

Dictionary Entries Near bumpy

Cite this Entry

“Bumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumpy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bumpy

adjective
bumpier; bumpiest
: marked by bumps or bumping
a bumpy ride
bumpy skin
bumpily adverb
bumpiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on bumpy

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