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Glite Dictionary
bungler

bungler

1 7.8
A person who often makes mistakes because they lack skill
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌŋɡlər/
translation icon : torpe
  • His friends often joked that he was a bungler when it came to fixing things around the house.

Examples

  • Buljanoff, Iranoff, and Kopalski are your typical bunglers with a satirical twist: Muscovites who take too quickly to Paris.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Since I can't imagine the Bay Bridge engineers wanted that repair to fail, I have to presume they were merely pathetic bunglers.

    Blog text (14)

  • Tell me what we're going to do with this bungler.

    Ty (2020)

  • Oh, Charlie, you stupid bungler.

    The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976)

  • Moreover, because most of the market restructuring had been completed, Argentina looked like a stellar reformer compared to the other emerging-market bunglers taking center stage.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Well, I couldn't care less what that bungler Pélissier slops into his perfumes.

    Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

  • The project failed because it was managed by a bungler who made numerous errors.

  • Everyone in the office knew he was a bungler; he could never complete a task without a mistake.

Synonyms

screw-up
vsbungler
  • Offensive
22 7.0

A person who often makes mistakes in important situations

is a general term for habitual error without stressing importance of errors
butcher
vsbungler
  • Offensive
10 7.5

A person who does a job very badly

is the wider term for habitual errors not limited to tasks
fuckup
vsbungler
  • Offensive
9 9.9

A person who often makes serious or careless mistakes

is a more neutral description of frequent error from lack of skill
sad sack
vsbungler
  • Offensive
7 8.6

A person who often fails to do things well

emphasizes repeated error from poor skill rather than general failure
bumbler
vsbungler
  • Offensive
2 8.3

A person who often makes mistakes and seems clumsy

focuses on repeated errors due to poor skill rather than awkwardness
schlemiel
vsbungler
  • Offensive
2 9.9

A person who is often clumsy and makes mistakes

is similar but framed as the general label for frequent mistakes
stumblebum
vsbungler
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is clumsy and acts in a silly, awkward way

is the more neutral label for frequent mistakes from low competence
botcher
vsbungler
  • Offensive
1 9.2

A person who does a job badly because they are not skilled

covers frequent mistakes more generally, not only poor task execution
stumbler
vsbungler
1 7.5

A person who often makes mistakes because they lack skill

is the broad general word for frequent error from low skill
fumbler
vsbungler
1 6.5

A person who often makes mistakes because they lack skill

highlights general frequent mistakes caused by low competence
blunderer
vsbungler
1 7.8

A person who often makes serious mistakes because they are careless

is about frequent error from low skill rather than only serious faults
muddler
vsbungler
  • Offensive
1 8.2

A person who causes confusion by making things more complicated

focuses strictly on frequent mistakes from lack of skill, not confusion
bodger
vsbungler
  • Offensive
9.7

A person who does work in a careless or clumsy way

is about repeated personal mistakes rather than only poor workmanship

Antonyms

professional
401 3.7

A person who has special training and works in a skilled job

expert
3 3.5

Very skilled and knowing a lot about a particular area

How Competent

expert
∞ 3.2
professional
401 3.7
competent
114 3.6
amateur
122 2.8
bungler
1 7.8

Surface Forms

bungler singular
bunglers plural

Morphology

bungler = bungle (transparent) = bungle + er

The word 'bungler' is transparently derived from 'bungle' with the addition of the agentive suffix '-er'.

Etymology

The word bungler comes from the verb bungle, which means 'to do a job badly' and probably comes from bung, a word for 'to stuff' or 'plug'. So a bungler is someone who keeps making a mess or mistakes.