as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard that's just a bush-league ploy to get cast on a TV reality show

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bush-league A lot of times, these bush-league but prolific lawbreakers basically got a warning, then another warning, then maybe a couple of months in county. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024 A lot of times, these bush-league but prolific lawbreakers basically got a warning, then another warning, then maybe a couple of months in county. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024 The script constitutes a string of bush-league errors we’re not supposed to care about, starting with the audience getting way, way out ahead of the characters regarding who’s hiding what. Michael Phillips, Twin Cities, 7 June 2024 What happened in the California state Assembly truly was a bush-league error. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bush-league
Adjective
  • And sometimes the soldiers can do things which are totally unacceptable and can be called crimes.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
  • Shamkhani underscored that the absence of sanctions relief rendered the U.S. plan unacceptable.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • And then what happens when taxpayers are given the wrong answer?
    Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Those looking for salacious and headline-grabbing score-settling, however, have come to entirely the wrong place.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • The risk extends even to children due to increasing rates of childhood obesity and poor dietary habits.20 As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that healthy adults have their lipids checked every four to six years.
    MD Published, Verywell Health, 5 June 2025
  • Massive clouds of pollutants could collide in North Carolina this week and result in poor air quality conditions for millions.
    Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • That cartilage injury was worse than expected, and Jiménez could miss all or most of this season rehabbing.
    David O'Brien, New York Times, 5 June 2025
  • Athletics manager Mark Kotsay has continued to search for answers to cure what ails the Athletics during their historically bad run of losing in West Sacramento.
    Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • Anyone who tells you different is a liar (and pathetic, and alone in life).
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 30 May 2025
  • The politicized fantasy and horror films by Ryan Coogler and Jordan Peele are merely pathetic.
    Armond White, National Review, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Ars Video Whether the Take It Down Act can survive a potential constitutional challenge or not, the 48-hour timeline may be deficient for other reasons, though, victim testimony suggests.
    Ashley Belanger – May 19, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
  • The Church’s ‘Good Faith’ In court filings, Riverside denies wrongdoing and insists Holmes’ case is legally deficient.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Though Rivera was strong on balance beam and floor, posting the highest mark on beam and the third-best on floor, a disastrous bar routine took the Olympian out of the gold medal race.
    Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
  • Both Israel and Iran have nuclear capabilities, which means that any escalation in fighting could have disastrous consequences for the international community.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bush-league.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bush-league. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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