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bush-league

adjective

ˈbu̇sh-ˌlēg How to pronounce bush-league (audio)
Definition of bush-leaguenext
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard that's just a bush-league ploy to get cast on a TV reality show

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The only thing worse than the optics of Jokic running 50 feet to shove McDaniels for a bush-league layup are his statistics. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2026 With his arm almost out of bullets, Jason Hirsh discovered his second calling in a bush-league bullpen. — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2026 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
  1. unacceptable
  2. lame
  3. wrong
  4. poor
  5. bad
  6. pathetic
  7. deficient
  8. terrible
Adjective
  • Laying an egg against the Raiders in Year 3 of the Harbaugh era is unacceptable.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Kip Dellinger Santa Monica The type of play by the Chargers on Sunday was completely unacceptable, lackluster and disappointing for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • As Trump slides toward lame-duck status, cleavages within the group and between it and traditional progressives are becoming more salient.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The next big issue for me was that Axl shimmied from side to side with an unusual snakelike move that struck me as effeminate and lame.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • Pagan remains wrong, sophisticated argumentation notwithstanding.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The tech leaders warned about the risk of humans losing control of AI systems and of the systems getting into the wrong hands.
    — Jack Moore, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • Renovation will only yield temporary improvement unless the original cause of a poor-quality lawn is remedied.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The consequences of a poor performance in the takeaway department sets a very high standard for rookies, something that can only bode well for the future.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • This problem will only get worse, with new cancer cases projected to increase 67% by 2050.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • In a world where true-crime shows of both the fictional and nonfictional variety run rampant on our screens, that’s probably not a bad corporate strategy.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • The Chargers' offense mustered a pathetic 14 points all game.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • It’s also brilliantly written as a futile, pathetic rebellion by men with zero agency or purpose in their own lives.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of pathetic
Adjective
  • High base, cuts to public capex for meeting fiscal deficit targets and the impact of deficient rains on sowing patterns are some of the key reasons the brokerage expects India’s growth to slow over the next few quarters.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • There is nonexistent depth, disastrous allocation of resources and a roster so deficient that the general manager who constructed it has already been dismissed.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of deficient
Adjective
  • After a terrible start in Week 1, Denver’s stingy defense returned to form.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Eventually, Håkan is forced to participate in this omnipresent bloodshed, at a terrible cost to his soul and his reputation.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrible

Browse Nearby Words

bushels
bush-league
bushmaster
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bush-league.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bush-league. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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