Synonyms of butcher

butcher 1 of 2

noun

ˈbu̇-chər 

as in blunderer

someone who bungles an effort

the newest intern on the campaign is a butcher when it comes to writing press releases

Synonyms & Similar Words

• blunderer
• incompetent
• bungler
• blunderbuss
• bumbler
• botcher
• screwup
• fumbler
• muddler

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• master
• expert
• virtuoso
• maestro
• wizard
• ace
• adept
• crackerjack

butcher

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to slaughter

to kill on a large scale

the barbarians butchered the monks in the monasteries without mercy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slaughter
• massacre
• murder
• slay
• assassinate
• dispatch
• execute
• destroy
• mow (down)
• smite
• fell
• wipe out
• eradicate
• exterminate
• demolish
• waste
• snuff
• annihilate
• decimate
• blot out
• croak
• do in
• devastate

2

as in to fumble

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way

the new piano student butchered the sonatina

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fumble
• blow
• murder
• dub
• mangle
• ruin
• boot
• botch
• destroy
• bungle
• screw up
• spoil
• muff
• foul up
• goof (up)
• boggle
• fluff
• muck up
• bumble
• flub
• mutilate
• mar
• injure
• wreck
• damage
• foozle
• bugger (up)
• louse up
• bobble
• gum (up)
• mess (up)
• blunder
• bollix (up)
• hurt
• flaw
• muddle
• harm
• impair
• blemish
• blight
• vitiate
• piffle
• mismanage
• mishandle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• better
• help
• improve
• reform
• enhance
• refine
• remedy
• rectify
• ameliorate
• patch
• repair
• fix
• renovate
• meliorate
• doctor
• revamp
• recondition

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of butcher

Noun

Police said a man wielding a butcher's knife advanced toward officers, prompting them to open fire, killing him. — Jeff Capellini, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026

August is the month for many of our county and state 4-H fairs, and much livestock has a concluding chapter at a local butcher. — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

Verb

With more than 3 billion users, WhatsApp is among the largest areas of scam activity, like wire transfers and pig butchering scams. — Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2026

The meats — some butchered on-site by Soto — sear over mesquite charcoal, with smoke wafting through the large patio and over the restaurant’s bright pink walls. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026