Bungle

Bungle is a verb meaning to carry out a task clumsily or incompetently, resulting in a poor or failed outcome. As a noun, a bungle is a clumsy, botched job or action. The term is informal and carries a negative connotation, often implying avoidable error or mishandling rather than bad luck.

Etymology is uncertain. The verb is attested in English from the early modern period; the noun sense developed later. Some scholars have proposed a link to a now-obsolete “bung” meaning a stopper or plug, others suggest an onomatopoeic origin or a derivation from dialect forms. There is no widely agreed origin.

Usage and nuance: Bungle is used to describe projects, processes, negotiations, or tasks that have been mishandled. It is commonly found in journalism, criticism, and everyday speech. It is less formal than “botch” or “blunder” but similar in meaning; “to bungle” emphasizes carelessness or mismanagement.

Examples: The construction crew bungled the wiring, causing a power outage. The negotiations were bungled after a miscommunication about the deadline. In many contexts, a bungle suggests that better planning or oversight could have avoided the failed outcome.