Showing results for "floundering"

• present participle of flounder.

floundering

American  

[floun-der-ing] / ˈflaʊn dər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. struggling, especially clumsily or helplessly.

   The vast leap from tonal music to modernism was left to the floundering student to make, unaided.

   These classic writing mistakes are guaranteed to unlock the door to instant failure and free you to flop like a floundering fish on the floor.

2. in imminent danger of failure or catastrophic loss.

   The floundering venture laid off half its 200 employees and its chairman resigned.

   The player’s 2017 campaign not only revived what looked like a floundering career, it proved to be one of the best he'd ever had in the big leagues.

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noun

1. a clumsy, violent, or chaotic struggle.

   With many awkward flounderings, and much spluttering, I managed to keep barely afloat until I reached the shore.

   The floundering of the economy in the last decade has left many hardworking individuals without a job.

Other Word Forms

• unfloundering
  adjective
• flounderingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of floundering

First recorded in 1590–1600; flounder ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; flounder ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

floundering

He was the emotionally tortured and volatile chef who left behind a rising career in Michelin-starred restaurants to return to Chicago, his hometown, to run his recently deceased brother’s floundering sandwich joint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Owning shares in a floundering company is psychological torture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Crucially, the firm also is bullish on Intel’s foundry business, which was seen as a floundering effort as recently as last year.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

With his generational rival Carlos Alcaraz injured, and most of the top 10 floundering, Sinner goes to Roland Garros as the heaviest favourite since the great Rafael Nadal.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

Writers facing the problem of Texas find themselves floundering in generalities, and I am no exception.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• amateurish
• helpless
• inadequate
• incapable
• ineffectual
• inefficient
• inept
• inexperienced
• unqualified
• unskilled
• useless