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
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
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In the afterglow of the finale, outlets hit publish on SEO-bait around who did what, and clumsy think pieces like this one followed.—
Thomas Page,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
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His paranoia, played with clumsy charm by a mustachioed and bleary-eyed Leonardo DiCaprio, is half-cocked and somewhat comical.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Then, after starting the second half by fumbling the ball away at the Rebels’ 17, the Cougars’ next two drives ended in two more Belinske-Strauss touchdown runs – the second of which came on a possession that started at the Champlin Park 1 after a high snap on a Rebels’ punt attempt.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
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Boise State played an uneven first half in Tampa, fumbling twice and committing a huge penalty that gave life to a South Florida touchdown drive.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The result is an awkward medley of ideas and references.—
Will Collins,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
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The story struck a chord with other Redditors, many of whom shared their own awkward travel mishaps.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hiding the frames beneath the fans in this manner gives the case a cleaner interior view without sacrificing the convective assistance that comes from building with the fans blowing upward.—
Thomas Soderstrom,
PC Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
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The experience not only highlights the uniqueness of the W16 but also underscores the immense forces that allow the Mistral to reach nearly 300 mph with the top down—a mind- (and wind-) blowing feat that cements it as the fastest roadster on the planet.—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But the botched American rollout represented a different order of defeat.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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Yes, the interception was unfortunate, and the botched snap/clap in the second quarter was bizarre.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Like Einbinder, she's been nominated for all four seasons of Abbott Elementary for her role as inept school principal Ava Coleman.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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That should be the story of the game, if not for how inept the other side of the ball was.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Sanders says that rather than quitting, Underwood was fired for being an incompetent employee.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 Sep. 2025
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The man was charged with multiple felony charges but found incompetent to stand trial.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Founders are often too eager to scale, or too inexperienced to evaluate talent, and the financial hit isn’t felt immediately.—
Anuradha Gupta,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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And finding a new commissioner would not only take months but may leave the West with an untried, inexperienced leader.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bungling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungling. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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