shambolic

adjective

sham·​bol·​ic sham-ˈbä-lik 

chiefly British

: obviously disorganized or confused

Examples of shambolic in a Sentence

a shambolic system of public transportation

Recent Examples on the Web

That his was an almost farcical and shambolic attempt at an autogolpe does not change the gravity of what happened. —Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026

What if Amorim had realised the 3-4-3 didn’t work earlier, at some point before the Europa League final defeat to an equally shambolic Tottenham Hotspur side? —Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026

Today’s vote from the shambolic meeting of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices sets us up for needless tragedy. —Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025

Into this pastoral scene of modern irrigation and baseball training sweeps Walter Matthau, driving a big, old, shambolic convertible, well past its prime but, like its driver, still possessing more than a bit of charm. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from shambles

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shambolic

• bucolic
• carbolic
• embolic
• glycolic
• hydraulic
• phenolic
• podzolic
• symbolic
• systolic
• alcoholic
• anabolic
• apostolic