as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
I refuse to let that bungling incompetent insult me again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
bungled the job the first time she tried to do it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungling
Adjective
-
For those things that are bigger, or subject to rough forces like clumsy human hands, through-hole soldering is still required, with leads poked through a connective hole and solder applied to connect and join them securely.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2025 -
The rubber sole is also important for clumsy gals like myself.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Bill Belichick’s daughter-in-law seems none too pleased with his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, shading the 24-year-old for her behavior during the Super Bowl winner’s awkward new CBS interview as former Patriots Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski defended Hudson.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
-
The situation was made more awkward by the lack of support from anyone else at the table.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That was a reference to the botched Tonight Show transition at NBC where O’Brien, then the popular host of NBC’s Late Night, was promised The Tonight Show to stay at NBC.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Accidental reveal One Russian military blogger inadvertently revealed the extent of the Ukrainian advance during a botched effort to downplay the advance on Monday.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Then there’s the inept producer Jeff (Alex Wolff), sound guy Justin (Joe Apollonio), and the only Spanish speaker, Elena (Ulman), all of whom scramble to make a new plan.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
-
Meanwhile, inept commentator Buck Laughlin (Fred Willard) vainly attempts to provide colorful tidbits about each breed.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But Elmer is equally incompetent there, too, robbing the wrong train, failing at safecracking, miscalculating explosives and getting ignobly killed by lawmen in an Oklahoma shootout in 1911.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2025
-
However, problematic ones try to control every outcome, usually out of fear of failure or appearing incompetent.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Bungling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungling. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share