Blunder
['blʌndə] or ['blʌndɚ]
Definition
(v. i.) To make a gross error or mistake; as, to blunder in writing or preparing a medical prescription.
(v. i.) To move in an awkward, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble.
(v. t.) To cause to blunder.
(v. t.) To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
(n.) Confusion; disturbance.
(n.) A gross error or mistake, resulting from carelessness, stupidity, or culpable ignorance.
Inputed by Katherine
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. n. Mistake (grossly), err (from want of care), make a bull.
n. Mistake (of the grossest kind), error (from thoughtlessness), gross mistake, bull.
Checker: Osbert
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Error, mistake, misunderstanding, fault, oversight, inaccuracy, delusion, slip
ANT:Accuracy, truthfulness, exactness, correctness, faultlessness, ratification,atonement, foresight, prevention, hit, success, achievement, correction
Edited by Brent
Definition
v.i. to make a gross mistake to flounder about: to utter thoughtlessly.—n. a gross mistake.—p.adj. Blun′dering apt to make gross mistakes: apt to stumble.—To blunder away to throw away some opportunity or advantage.
Typist: Lolita
Examples
- In 1808 he committed a very serious blunder. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Now, jump in, and let us see if I can repair the consequences of my own blunder. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- It is possible this latter blunder may have been made by Bragg having become confused as to what was going on on our side. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Except this trifling interruption, your little piece has gone off without a single accident or blunder; so be calm, man! Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- You _are_ afraid--your self-love dreads a blunder. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- Hideous, abhorrent, base blunder! Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Your only blunder was confined to my ear, when you imagined a certain friend of ours in love with the lady. Jane Austen. Emma.
- He always admitted his blunders, and extenuated those of officers under him beyond what they were entitled to. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- For there are, I believe, blunders in our political thinking which confuse fictitious activity with genuine achievement, and make it difficult for men to know where they should enlist. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- I was not endowed either with brains or with good fortune, and confess that I have committed a hundred mistakes and blunders. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- HE would get on well enough if she'd let him alone; they like his slang and his brag and his blunders. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- In common conversation he seems to have no choice of words; he hesitates and blunders; and yet, good God, how he writes! Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
- I would rather abide by my own blunders than by his. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- To make it an avowed ideal--a thing of will and intelligence--is to hasten its coming, to illumine its blunders, and, by giving it self-criticism, to convert mistakes into wisdom. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- She was vexed to see that, in spite of so many years of vigilance, she had blundered twice within five minutes. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- I am too stupid to learn, I blundered out, as red as a peony. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- If others have blundered, it is your place to put them right, and shew them what true delicacy is. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- If the world were going to remain frigidly set after next year, we might well thank our stars if we blundered into a few decent solutions right away. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Miss Crawford blundered most towards Fanny herself in her intentions to please. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- Jo blundered into a wrong message in one of your Father's letters, and I made her tell me. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- They ought to have told me, and not let me go blundering and scolding, when I should have been more kind and patient than ever. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- Both smooth heads were alike beaming, blundering, and bumpy. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- And it is true that our knowledge of those needs and the technique of their satisfaction is hazy, unorganized and blundering. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- The very breathing of the figure was contemptible, as it laboured and rattled in that operation, like a blundering clock. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- The world was not so stupid and blundering after all: now and then a stroke of luck came to the unluckiest. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- Who was the blundering idiot who said that fine words butter no parsnips? William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Life was too stupid, too blundering! Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
Typist: Steven