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
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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
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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
-
After the zapfest on Earth, the anti-climactic tussle between the forces of good and evil occurs back on Eternia, where He-Man and his nemesis cross swords in a clumsy fight that’s not only predictable but also photographed and edited poorly.—
Jeffrey Ressner,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
-
The simple walking pattern adopted by fish, which the Cambridge researchers call an ‘undulating tripod gait’, can appear to be quite clumsy and involves too much flopping.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Like, for example, calling a risky trick play in South Bend that resulted in wide receiver Makai Lemon fumbling on first-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37-yard line down three points in the fourth quarter.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
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The whole series comes down to the Cavs fumbling away Game 1.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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Indeed, a dying wish and a cryptic clue lead the unlikely duo on a journey full of twists and turns, bad choices, awkward conversations, lies, fights, mystery, betrayal, and a dangerous killer.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
Stakeholder facilitation and consensus-building bridge communication gaps and ease awkward conversations about one’s own compensation.—
Jim Hebets,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Not because the Dodgers’ reliever gave up three runs in the eighth inning to the Philadelphia Phillies, blowing a save opportunity and getting tagged with his first loss of the season.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
The plants store electricity generated by large solar and wind farms to release back on the power grid at night when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Despite the botched mission, NASA has not yet given up hope on Boeing.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
After the botched robbery, Majors managed to make it up a staircase in the park before collapsing.—
Corin Cesaric,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Embarrassment over a vulgar and inept political class seems unlikely to open out into severe introspection among the United States’ intellectual and cultural elites, who are primed to regurgitate the narratives of American exceptionalism.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
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There's Kenan Thompson's casting in a parody of the jukebox biopic Michael, in which the Saturday Night Live vet plays an inept Jermaine Jackson.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
This approach seemed common when authorities were uninterested or incompetent.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
-
Court records from an earlier criminal case show Parker had previously been found mentally incompetent to stand trial and ordered to a state hospital for treatment.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
The team overachieved this season partly because Mazzulla turned an inexperienced supporting cast into a strength.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Short selling can be an intellectually demanding approach to the market, and many inexperienced traders fall into a trap, lured by overvaluation and hype.—
David Capablanca,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bungling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungling. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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