blunder

[bluhn-der] /ˈblʌn dər/
noun
1.
a gross, stupid, or careless mistake:
That's your second blunder this morning.
verb (used without object)
2.
to move or act blindly, stupidly, or without direction or steady guidance:
Without my glasses I blundered into the wrong room.
3.
to make a gross or stupid mistake, especially through carelessness or mental confusion:
Just pray that he doesn't blunder again and get the names wrong.
verb (used with object)
4.
to bungle; botch:
Several of the accounts were blundered by that new assistant.
5.
to utter thoughtlessly; blurt out:
He blundered his surprise at their winning the award.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English blunderen, blondren, (v.) < Old Norse blunda shut one's eyes, nap; compare Norwegian dialect blundra
Related forms
blunderer, noun
blunderingly, adverb
nonblundering, adjective, noun
nonblunderingly, adverb
outblunder, verb (used with object)
superblunder, noun
unblundering, adjective
Synonyms
1. error. See mistake.
Examples from the web for blundering
  • blundering about in economics and echoing the biased mainstream media is not science.
  • In a short while, he found himself blundering through dense timber in total darkness.
  • But when those opinions replace our own blundering around for truth, we're in trouble.
  • He's bent on bringing his country into the brotherhood of first-world nations and reversing its growing reputation for blundering.
  • Amory ingeniously tried to retrieve himself by blundering on purpose.
  • The casualties were great, the blundering was indisputable.
  • Lastly, blundering and bloat have imposed a stiff cost in morale.
  • Yet it was the blundering approach for me on this trip, with results both predictable and pleasant.
  • We won't know until we're dead, and until then, we're all blundering about in the same fog.
  • Not surprisingly, the war for which each side was ill prepared opened with blundering application of intelligence on both sides.
British Dictionary definitions for blundering

blunder

/ˈblʌndə/
noun
1.
a stupid or clumsy mistake
2.
a foolish tactless remark
verb (mainly intransitive)
3.
to make stupid or clumsy mistakes
4.
to make foolish tactless remarks
5.
often foll by about, into, etc. to act clumsily; stumble: he blundered into a situation he knew nothing about
6.
(transitive) to mismanage; botch
Derived Forms
blunderer, noun
blundering, noun, adjective
blunderingly, adverb
Word Origin
C14: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse blunda to close one's eyes, Norwegian dialect blundra; see blind
Word Origin and History for blundering

mid-14c. as a present participle adjective; mid-15c. as a verbal noun, from blunder (v.). Related: Blunderingly.

blunder

v.

mid-14c., "to stumble about blindly," from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse blundra "shut one's eyes," from PIE root *bhlendh- (see blind). Meaning "make a stupid mistake" is first recorded 1711. Related: Blundered; blundering.

n.

mid-14c., apparently from blunder (v.), though of about the same age.