bumbling

American  

[buhm-bling] / ˈbʌm blɪŋ /

adjective

1. liable to make awkward blunders.

   a bumbling mechanic.

2. clumsily incompetent or ineffectual.

   bumbling diplomacy.

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noun

1. the act or practice of making blunders.

   The bumbling of their officers cost them the battle.

Other Word Forms

• bumblingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of bumbling

First recorded in 1525–35; bumble ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

When attached to a character, indeterminacy manifests itself as confusion, and the novel mines a lot of humor from the bumbling of its poet-antihero.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

You’re going to get a refresh of the QB’s bumbling history against the Patriots—including the miserable night with the Jets when he complained he was “seeing ghosts”—but this dude isn’t that dude.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

Kidnapped by bumbling conspiracy theorists Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis, Michelle stares at her jailer calmly as she pitches them on letting her go.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

He’s spent the months since demanding respect from the press while bumbling his way through scandal after scandal.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

“I’ve got it!” howls Pebble, who comes bumbling out of the exact wrong bush behind the marmot.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

• inept