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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Even the basic details of the situation can sound like the clumsy plot of some apocalyptic thriller.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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An exceptionally clumsy device.—
Mark Phelan,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gaines got some redemption with his TD after fumbling on a third-and-goal run in the first quarter.—
Jim Keyser,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Oct. 2025
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However, his key mistakes included an interception, being sacked six times, and fumbling the ball away twice.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Frederick Wherry, Kristin Seefeldt, and Anthony Alvarez examine the strategies potential lenders use to make these interactions less awkward.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Oct. 2025
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Talk about awkward reunions at unlikely places, if this does happen.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The club simply dominated for nearly the first five months of the season, only to suffer the largest single collapse in major league history, blowing a 15 1/2-game lead on July 8 to lose the AL Central Division pennant to the Cleveland Guardians.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off a painful defeat to the Denver Broncos, after blowing a 19-0 lead and losing 33-32 on a last-second Denver field goal after missing two PATs of their own, including one with 37 seconds left.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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After a game where everything wasn’t smooth sailing – Chicago had plenty of pre-snap penalties and Williams’ two fumbles came on botched snaps with the center – the young quarterback says these experiences are important if the team are going to continue improving.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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In July 2023, Marion County Sheriff's Deputy John Durm was trying to move a man from the transport van into the jail when he was killed during a botched escape attempt.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While Dalton was inept in his fill-in duty, the Panthers’ defense also crumbled, especially against the run.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Oct. 2025
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The Warriors were defensively inept in the first half.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The premise has the potential for slapstick silliness, as an incompetent Seoul family fumbles its way through opening a hunting lodge in the Korean countryside.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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Lauren was also charged with misdemeanor battery and theft in June 2020, per online court records reviewed by PEOPLE; that case was discharged after she was found incompetent to stand trial.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But let’s face it, the Red Wings have looked a bit inexperienced at times so far, too.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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The helmers cycle through a year’s worth of seasons for Zhenya and Anatolij Pilipenko, inexperienced farmers who envisioned a new life for themselves and their two young daughters.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bungling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bungling. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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