bungling

/ˈbʌŋɡlɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈʌŋɡəlɪŋ] /ˈbʌŋɡlɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈʌŋɡəlɪŋ] /ˈbəŋ-g(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce bungling (audio)/ (ame, mw)

bungling — adjective

  • bunglingpositive
  • more bunglingcomparative
  • most bunglingsuperlative

1. A bungling person, attempt, or piece of work handles a job so badly that it ends

1.形容詞C1
釋義

A bungling person, attempt, or piece of work handles a job so badly that it ends up full of clumsy mistakes.

例句

The bungling electrician cut the wrong wire and darkened the whole shop.

bungling + job title blamed for an obvious mistake

Ritu's bungling apology only made the argument worse at dinner.

bungling + attempt that worsens the situation

同義詞
  • clumsy

    often stresses awkward movement with the hands or body more than bad judgment

  • inept

    harsher and more formal; often suggests embarrassing incompetence

  • botched

    usually describes the bad result itself rather than the person causing it

  • incompetent

    stronger and broader, often used for someone's general lack of ability

反義詞
  • skilful

    shows controlled, effective handling

  • competent

    emphasizes reliable ability rather than flair

  • efficient

    focuses on getting the job done smoothly and without waste

文法句型

a bungling + person or group

a bungling attempt to + verb

look / seem bungling

用法筆記

Often criticizes visible handling errors rather than a lack of knowledge in general. Common before nouns such as official, repair, operation, response, or attempt; after be or look, it describes a person or team in action.

常見錯誤

❌Leo is bungling at maths.
✅Leo keeps bungling his maths homework.
💡bungling describes clumsy handling of a task, not general ability after 'at'.
❌The repair was bungling because the machine was old.
✅The repair was bungling because the mechanic kept making simple mistakes.
💡bungling blames poor handling, not the difficulty of the job itself.