Library / English Dictionary

BUNGLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An embarrassing mistake

Synonyms:

bloomer; blooper; blunder; boner; boo-boo; botch; bungle; flub; foul-up; fuckup; pratfall

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("bungle" is a kind of...):

error; fault; mistake (a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bungle"):

bobble (the momentary juggling of a batted or thrown baseball)

snafu (an acronym often used by soldiers in World War II: situation normal all fucked up)

spectacle (a blunder that makes you look ridiculous; used in the phrase 'make a spectacle of' yourself)

bull (a serious and ludicrous blunder)

fumble; muff ((sports) dropping the ball)

fluff (a blunder (especially an actor's forgetting the lines))

faux pas; gaffe; gaucherie; slip; solecism (a socially awkward or tactless act)

howler (a glaring blunder)

clanger (a conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate)

misstep; stumble; trip; trip-up (an unintentional but embarrassing blunder)

Derivation:

bungle (spoil by behaving clumsily or foolishly)

bungle (make a mess of, destroy or ruin)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Spoil by behaving clumsily or foolishly

Example:

I bungled it!

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "bungle" is one way to...):

act; behave; do (behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

bungle (an embarrassing mistake)

bungler (someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make a mess of, destroy or ruin

Example:

the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement

Synonyms:

ball up; blow; bobble; bodge; bollix; bollix up; bollocks; bollocks up; botch; botch up; bumble; bungle; flub; fluff; foul up; fuck up; fumble; louse up; mess up; mishandle; muck up; muff; screw up; spoil

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "bungle" is one way to...):

fail; go wrong; miscarry (be unsuccessful)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

bungle (an embarrassing mistake)

bungler (someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence)

Credits