blunderer

IPA/ˈblʌn.də.rər/
IPA/ˈblʌn.dɚ.ɚ/

blunderer — noun

  • blunderersingular
  • blunderersplural

1. a person who often gets important things wrong through carelessness or poor judg

1.nounC1
Definition

a person who often gets important things wrong through carelessness or poor judgment.

Example

After three billing errors, the office labeled Sahil a blunderer and reassigned the invoices.

call someone a blunderer after repeated careless mistakes

In the comedy, the blunderer drops the cake before the wedding photos begin.

Common collocations
  • habitual blunderer
  • complete blunderer
  • blunderer in the kitchen
  • political blunderer
Synonyms
  • bungler

    very close in meaning, but often stresses doing a task badly from lack of skill

  • klutz

    informal and more focused on physical awkwardness than general bad judgment

  • scatterbrain

    informal; emphasizes absent-mindedness more than the damage caused by mistakes

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a + blunderer

call someone a blunderer

be no blunderer

Usage Note

Usually describes a person's repeated pattern of careless mistakes, not one isolated slip. It often sounds critical or teasing rather than neutral in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

He is a blunderer because he forgot my birthday once.
He made a mistake by forgetting my birthday.
'blunderer' suggests repeated careless errors, not one isolated slip.
The report contains several blunderers.
The report contains several blunders.
'blunderer' is the person; 'blunder' is the mistake itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Blunderer' emphasizes a person who keeps making serious careless mistakes, especially when the mistakes create trouble for other people. 'Bungler' is close, but it often focuses more on doing a job badly because of poor skill or weak execution. 'Klutz' is informal and usually points to physical awkwardness, such as dropping plates or walking into furniture. 'Scatterbrain' criticizes someone's absent-minded habits rather than the actual damage caused by each mistake. So a clerk who repeatedly sends the wrong files may be called a blunderer or a bungler, but a friend who knocks over a drink at dinner is more likely a klutz, and a student who keeps forgetting books may be called a scatterbrain.

blunderer ↗bungler ↗klutz ↗scatterbrain

Common collocations

Phrases

  • call someone a blunderer
  • look like a blunderer
  • be no blunderer

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the noun and verb 'blunder' plus the agent suffix '-er'. 'Blunder' came into Middle English from a Scandinavian source, probably related to Old Norse 'blunda', meaning to shut one's eyes or doze. The image is of acting as if you are not seeing clearly, which fits the modern idea of making careless mistakes.