as in clumsy
showing or marked by a lack of skill and tact (as in dealing with a situation)
a botched attempt to mend relations with our disaffected European allies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
the first time we tried to make a cake, we botched the job completely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of botched
Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2024
Kids playing a fun game will no longer pick up a botched, eugenical notion of race alongside their 20-sided dice.
—Steven Dashiell, Scientific American, 31 July 2024
CrowdStrike has blamed the IT outage on a bug that released a botched update and melted down the world’s computer systems.
—Aaron Gregg, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
The pause followed the botched death of a man in Oklahoma, who became unconscious only to wake up, thrashing, and die of a heart attack about 40 minutes afterward.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for botched 
Adjective
The tribal initiation of boys into adulthood has long been controversial in African countries such as South Africa, where incidents of botched, deadly circumcisions among Xhosa-speaking people have inspired campaigns for safe clinical circumcision.
—Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2024
Kids playing a fun game will no longer pick up a botched, eugenical notion of race alongside their 20-sided dice.
—Steven Dashiell, Scientific American, 31 July 2024
CrowdStrike has blamed the IT outage on a bug that released a botched update and melted down the world’s computer systems.
—Aaron Gregg, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
The pause followed the botched death of a man in Oklahoma, who became unconscious only to wake up, thrashing, and die of a heart attack about 40 minutes afterward.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for botched
Recent Examples of Synonyms for botched
Adjective
-
The comedian with a penchant for pratfalls also did a popular impression of a clumsy President Gerald Ford and played the Landshark.EW.com, EW.com, 5 Oct. 2024
-
What was trickiest to nail down was the thing that looks the clumsiest: the student film.Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Giving cash doesn’t have to be awkward Despite popular convention that cash presents are gauche, tacky, or uninspired, Post says the annals of etiquette wisdom permit monetary gifts.Allie Volpe, Vox, 19 Nov. 2024
-
The argument is also awkward for Warner Bros. Discovery, given Rowling and Oliver are effectively colleagues.Jake Kanter, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Rescue crews are hindered by cell service outages and ruined roads and bridges as federal officials warn money to help people get back on their feet is tenuous with 57 days still left in the official hurricane season.Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 4 Oct. 2024
-
Instead of basking at the park's desert ecosystem, visitors left graffiti and ruined trails.Louis Casiano, Fox News, 1 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near botched
Cite this Entry
“Botched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/botched. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share