I. noun
( -s )
Etymology: from gerund of bumble (II)
: stupid and awkward blundering
a story of military fatuity, of pompous bumbling , of reckless waste of lives — J.H.Powers
II. adjective
Etymology: from present participle of bumble (II)
1.
a. : blundering and awkward : likely to make foolish mistakes
a kindly, bumbling ne'er-do-well who had lately lost his job — Dixon Wecter
b. : ineffective as a speaker (as because of faltering and stuttering)
animated and splendidly communicative one evening and bumbling the next — R.H.Rovere
2. : marked by conspicuous blundering, inefficiency, ineffectiveness, and lack of organization
the bumbling policies of the administration led to its downfall