Synonyms

botched

American

[bocht] / bɒtʃt /

adjective

spoiled by poor or clumsy work; bungled.

The teachers are up in arms about the botched rollout of the new standards, which caused unnecessary confusion and stress for them and their students.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of botch.

Other Word Forms

botchedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of botched

botch ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The botched rollout drew criticism, including from prominent blogger John Gruber, who said Apple “squandered” its credibility by advertising features it couldn’t properly deliver.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Even before the Fail Mary, players, coaches and fans had already grown frustrated with weeks of botched calls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The widow and two children of Santos Ramos have sued Risher Mortuary & Cremation Service, alleging that the Montebello-based funeral home botched Ramos’ embalming and deprived the family of a meaningful final farewell.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

The ripples of the botched Watergate operation spoke to all of those arrogant enough to think they might be able to do it better.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026

Treebaun progressed quickly through each student’s recap and repercussion track, and I watched a botched Kennedy assassination simulation, a Watergate mess, and a rather iffy situation involving Ben Franklin, but none of them were Elliot’s.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023