bumbling

1 of 2

adjective

bum·​bling ˈbəm-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce bumbling (audio)
Synonyms of bumblingnext
: awkwardly blundering or faltering
a bumbling speaker
: prone to or marked by foolish mistakes
a bumbling attempt to fix the problem
… many Americans see the F.D.A. as bumbling and inefficient …—Herbert Burkholz
bumblingly adverb
… none of them truly wants him in her home while he tries, bumblingly, to get his act together … —Laura Collins-Hughes

bumbling

2 of 2

present participle of bumble entry 1, bumble entry 2

Examples of bumbling in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Hugh Grant plays the bumbling yet charming Ferrars, which would become his brand over the next 20 years. — Reshma Gopaldas, IndieWire, 19 Oct. 2026 But Cregger’s follow-up, Resident Evil, cast him as the bumbling yet oddly capable hero Bryan Hodukavich — and catapulted him into the leading-man strata. — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026 With a bowler hat, a toothbrush mustache, and a crook cane, Charlie Chaplin’s bumbling alter ego the Tramp lit up the big screen. — Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026 Charlie Pankow Moorpark The fumbling, bumbling Chargers keep stumbling in their unprecedented 0-4 start in the Jim Harbaugh era. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bumbling

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bumbling was in 1660

Rhymes for bumbling

See All Rhymes for bumbling

Browse Nearby Words

bumbler
bumbling
bumbo
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bumbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumbling. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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