Synonyms of bungling

bungling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

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

• clumsy
• awkward
• botched
• inept
• incompetent
• inexperienced
• careless
• sloppy
• maladroit
• fumbled
• inexpert
• inefficient
• amateurish
• amateur
• ineffectual
• unprofessional
• unskilled
• unpolished
• green
• tactless
• crude
• misguided
• ineffective
• misdirected
• tacky
• unskillful
• undiplomatic
• ill-advised

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adroit
• competent
• deft
• professional
• facile
• capable
• skilled
• skillful
• able
• expert
• talented
• clever
• adept
• masterly
• consummate
• proficient
• dexterous
• masterful
• diplomatic
• accomplished
• polished
• easy
• crackerjack
• smooth
• tactful
• gracious
• effortless

bungling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bungle

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

• fumbling
• blowing
• bumbling
• dubbing
• murdering
• botching
• ruining
• mangling
• butchering
• spoiling
• booting
• destroying
• boggling
• blundering
• fluffing
• bobbling
• muffing
• flubbing
• screwing up
• damaging
• goofing (up)
• marring
• fouling up
• wrecking
• messing (up)
• foozling
• buggering (up)
• mucking up
• bollixing (up)
• muddling
• injuring
• impairing
• lousing up
• hurting
• mutilating
• gumming (up)
• blighting
• harming
• mismanaging
• piffling
• vitiating
• mishandling
• flawing
• blemishing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improving
• helping
• reforming
• rectifying
• remedying
• enhancing
• refining
• ameliorating
• bettering
• repairing
• fixing
• meliorating
• revamping
• patching
• doctoring
• renovating
• reconditioning

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bungling

Adjective

The broadest of comedies, the film’s often puerile humor is driven by an endless stream of male bungling, blundering and whining, only to be kicked up a notch by pratfalls of nearly every variety, from getting bucked off a galloping horse to tripping into a pile of trash. — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 27 May 2026

Bernthal, who plays Sonny, has his own wayward machismo and hapless sensitivity, the very qualities that made Al Pacino unforgettable in the role of the bungling bandit with a Catholic conscience. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026

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

Verb

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who polled at 5% in the CBS survey, accused Becerra of bungling the federal government’s response to COVID-19, mpox and the influx in child migrants under former President Joe Biden. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026

And Kash Patel's FBI seems to be bungling the investigation at every step. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026

Cricket was shot for yapping uncontrollably, bungling the mission, and killing innocent bystanders. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026

Walsh was joined by Sean Davis, Saagar Enjeti, and other conservative commentators who spent the day accusing the administration of bungling its messaging on the conflict. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 3 Mar. 2026

Hollywood stars would do well to worry less about bungling the teleprompter and more about being true to their heart. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026

The pair wasn’t done with its bungling yet. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Feb. 2026

At that point, the day had been characterized by sloppiness and frustration, with Bears pass catchers failing to secure at least a half-dozen catchable throws from their quarterback and, on three occasions, bungling fourth-down opportunities. — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

When Souleymane rehearses his account, in an early scene, Barry admonishes him for blandly reciting (and often bungling) the false facts he’s been given. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025