blundering
Making careless mistakes
Blundering describes clumsy, mistake-prone action—stumbling through tasks without skill or care.
A blundering fool makes obvious errors.
A blundering attempt fails through incompetence rather than bad luck.
The word emphasizes awkwardness and lack of grace: The blundering waiter spilled wine on three guests.
Clumsy, uncoordinated handling
- stumblingWalking clumsily, almost falling
- bumblingClumsily incompetent
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
- lumberingMoving heavily and awkwardly
awkward · ungainly · uncoordinated · oafish · ham-handed · heavy-handed · klutzy · maladroit
Wrong action or decision
- gaffeClumsy social error
- misstepError in action or judgment
- faux pasSocial misstep or indiscretion
- slip-upSmall unintended error
snafu · miscalculation · misjudgment · flub · botch · howler · blooper · goof
Mishandling through incompetence
- botchedPoorly executed, spoiled
- ineptLacking skill or competence
- amateurishLacking professional skill
- ineffectualFailing to achieve purpose
unskilled · hapless · feckless · incapable · unprofessional · unqualified · muddling · mismanaged
Causing acute embarrassment
- humiliatingCausing painful embarrassment
- cringeworthyInducing secondhand embarrassment
- shamefulCausing or meriting disgrace
- red-facedShowing visible embarrassment
sheepish · chagrined · abashed · flustered · undignified · tactless · indiscreet · foot-in-mouth
Done without intention
- unwittingNot aware or conscious
- unintentionalNot done on purpose
- carelessInattentive, prone to mistakes
- heedlessCareless of consequences
thoughtless · unthinking · reckless · hasty · impetuous · rash · negligent · oblivious
fumbling
Clumsy, uncoordinated handling
- stumblingWalking clumsily, almost falling
- bumblingClumsily incompetent
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
lumbering · awkward · ungainly · uncoordinated · oafish · ham-handed · heavy-handed · klutzy · maladroit · cloddish
mistake
Wrong action or decision
slip-up · snafu · miscalculation · misjudgment · flub · botch · howler · blooper · goof · screw-up
bungling
Mishandling through incompetence
- botchedPoorly executed, spoiled
- ineptLacking skill or competence
- amateurishLacking professional skill
ineffectual · unskilled · hapless · feckless · incapable · unprofessional · unqualified · muddling · mismanaged · slipshod
mortifying
Causing acute embarrassment
- humiliatingCausing painful embarrassment
- cringeworthyInducing secondhand embarrassment
- shamefulCausing or meriting disgrace
red-faced · sheepish · chagrined · abashed · flustered · undignified · tactless · indiscreet · foot-in-mouth · facepalm
inadvertent
Done without intention
- unwittingNot aware or conscious
- unintentionalNot done on purpose
- carelessInattentive, prone to mistakes
heedless · thoughtless · unthinking · reckless · hasty · impetuous · rash · negligent · oblivious · unmindful
- clumsyclumsy, awkward, bumbling, bungling, fumbling
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, stuck, losing, stumbles
- socially awkwardshy, nervous, tongue-tied, social anxiety, shyness
- mismanagementmishandling, dysfunction, misuse, incompetence, inefficiency
- foolishnessfoolishness, silliness, foolish, stupid, folly
- muddlingmuddling, jumbling, scrambling, mixing up, disarranging
blunderingskilled
Having learned ability
competent · capable · adept · proficient · masterful
blunderingdeliberate
Consciously chosen, not accidental
calculated · intentional · methodical · careful · meticulous