Synonyms for bungling
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Adjective
ham-fisted informal, bumbling, clumsy, incompetent, ham-handed, heavy-handed, inexpert, bad, unskilled, awkward, left-handed, butter-fingered, maladroit, lubberly, unhandy, handless, inept, inapt, uncouth, unskillful, unskilful UK
Definitions
- adj. 1
Incompetent or inept.
Harry made a bungling attempt to catch the ball.
Example sentences
- incompetent Incompetent people are the ones who talk the most.
- clumsy Her movements were awkward and her gesture clumsy.
- bumbling The bumbling waiter spilled soup on a customer.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| bungling | falling | |
| incompetent | falling | |
| clumsy | rising | |
| bumbling | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- bad1
- 5 letters
- inept2, inapt
- 6 letters
- clumsy2
- 7 letters
- awkward2, uncouth2, unhandy
- 8 letters
- bumbling3, inexpert, handless, lubberly
- 9 letters
- unskilled2, maladroit3, unskilful
- 10 letters
- unskillful
- 11 letters
- incompetent4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (inept2 = 2 syllables).