shambolic
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of shambolic
First recorded in 1960–65; alteration of shambles (in the sense “a disordered place”); probably on the model of symbolic ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, the so-called autopsy was a shambolic train wreck of missing paragraphs, factual errors, and apparent plagiarism.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
Chelsea's players, and their derided owners BlueCo, now have the opportunity to save a shambolic season with silverware, a trick the club have performed often in the past.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026
Public transport meanwhile is shambolic, with most commercial vehicles dilapidated and lacking working air conditioning.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
This whole big shambolic miracle machine only keeps rolling because we are an amazing thing—a democratic republic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
The Clippers then got off to a shambolic 6-21 start during which they kicked franchise icon Chris Paul off the team just six weeks into the 40-year-old point guard’s much-anticipated farewell season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
