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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bungling
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bungling
Adjective
-
Such a feature would neatly get around the need for clumsy remote control sessions to interact with AI agents running on a distant Mac.
-
The head coach was clumsy in his response, saying — in effect — that the player is better suited to being an impact substitute and taking advantage of tiring opposition defenders.
Verb
-
With Yerry De los Santos also fumbling a bunt in the eighth, the Yanks tallied a season-high four errors on the night.
-
My first few hours with the EM11 NL were marked by overshooting links, fumbling through simple selections, and occasionally wondering why anyone would voluntarily use a vertical mouse.
Adjective
-
Human bodies were like animals’ The few medical instruments of the revolutionary era were heavy in the hand, awkward in use and imprecise to maneuver.
-
In its place are itty-bitty bands that still keep your flats or heels in place, just with less of a chance of awkward tan lines.
Verb
-
Technically, officials said, blowing past the deadline means Alameda County is no longer in exclusive negotiations with the Oakland Acquisition Company.
-
But rather than cede ground to an outsider, the town's residents plant TNT in every single structure, blowing them up before Lassiter can get his hands on them.
Adjective
-
On back-tob-back possessions, Lendeborg combined with Will Richard to smother one Spur attempt at the rim, and then covered for a botched defensive play by Graham Ike by blocking Miles Kelly’s attempt from seven feet away.
-
The Kang Kon was unveiled a month after the Choe Hyon in May 2025, but it was damaged during a botched launch at the northern port of Chongjin, prompting a furious response from Kim.
Adjective
-
Yet these easy luxuries have simultaneously raised the entitlement of citizens and their expectations of largesse from their underfunded, over-bureaucratized, overpromising governments, which are left seeming slow and inept.
-
Dunk, Welly and Shirm are on the interplanetary run from a zealous-yet-inept officer of the law named Zandro.
Adjective
-
Her Volumnia bellows at her meek daughter-in-law, Virgilia (Justine Faith) as though reprimanding an incompetent private.
-
One of the lasting side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and our catastrophically incompetent response to it is the decrease in trust in public health experts and their advice.
Adjective
-
Over the same period, entry-level head count at the high-intensity firms rose 12%, contradicting predictions and fears that young or inexperienced workers would be most at risk of losing their jobs to AI.
-
Immer and Lois work with land stewards to find projects that make sense for eager but often inexperienced volunteers.
Cite this Entry
“Bungling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungling. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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