bungling
adjective
bun·gling
ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 
: clumsily awkward or inept
a bungling attempt at humor
… her complaints about bungling doctors and mean-spirited nurses …—
Michiko Kakutani
Michiko Kakutani
bunglingly
adverb
a bunglingly inept investigation
Examples of bungling in a Sentence
I refuse to let that bungling incompetent insult me again
Recent Examples on the Web
His friendship with Epstein was never a secret — though his bungling aides’ accidental reopening of it is one of history’s greatest political errors.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bungling. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
