bush-league

adjective

ˈbu̇sh-ˌlēg How to pronounce bush-league (audio)
Definition of bush-leaguenext
as in unacceptable
falling short of a standard that's just a bush-league ploy to get cast on a TV reality show

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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 bush-league The only thing worse than the optics of Jokic running 50 feet to shove McDaniels for a bush-league layup are his statistics. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2026 With his arm almost out of bullets, Jason Hirsh discovered his second calling in a bush-league bullpen. — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2026 A lot of times, these bush-league but prolific lawbreakers basically got a warning, then another warning, then maybe a couple of months in county. — Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024 The script constitutes a string of bush-league errors we’re not supposed to care about, starting with the audience getting way, way out ahead of the characters regarding who’s hiding what. — Michael Phillips, Twin Cities, 7 June 2024 What happened in the California state Assembly truly was a bush-league error. — George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bush-league
  1. unacceptable
  2. lame
  3. wrong
  4. poor
  5. bad
  6. pathetic
  7. deficient
  8. terrible
Adjective
  • With a team that has a margin of error as small as the Dolphins, these penalties are unacceptable.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Likewise, the underlying crisis of commercially unacceptable risk in the Strait isn’t anywhere close to being resolved.
    — David Faris, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of unacceptable
Adjective
  • Blumenthal hopes to see action on KOSA in the lame-duck session.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Only to see them, after winning elections, get strong-armed by the party, then offer lame excuses as to why.
    — Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • British police acknowledged applying for the warrants under the wrong statutory provision, the judge said while stipulating that the misconduct investigation against the king's brother could continue.
    — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Doctors in Tennessee and Republican state senators called for the state to pause executions, because the chances of one going catastrophically wrong were so high.
    — Maya Foa, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrong
Adjective
  • Europe is expected to have a particularly poor corn harvest and needs larger imports just as its demand for feed remains high.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Reese is known as a poor shooter, and is often mocked for missing easy shots in games.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • But then came the nightmare of Game 3, one of the Sox’s worst performances in weeks.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Specifically, people with worse fever tended to have more of a protein called flagellin in their systems than those with little to no fever.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of bad
Adjective
  • The Chargers' offense mustered a pathetic 14 points all game.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • It’s also brilliantly written as a futile, pathetic rebellion by men with zero agency or purpose in their own lives.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of pathetic
Adjective
  • To help with hair regrowth, Bauman often recommends nutrient-dense meals rich with protein, healthy fat and the trace minerals that, when deficient, can lead to hair loss.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, supplementing with vitamin D is especially helpful for those who are deficient.
    — Nicole Catanese, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of deficient
Adjective
  • Platforms prefill a name, email and phone number so a user can submit in one tap without leaving the feed, which is wonderful for a consumer promotion and terrible for a six-figure investment.
    — Jonathan Durante, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Saddled with terrible reviews and negative word-of-mouth, Tom Cruise‘s absurdist dark comedy has cratered at the box office with $8 million in North America and $20 million globally in its first weekend of release.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible

Browse Nearby Words

bushels
bush-league
bushmaster
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Cite this Entry

“Bush-league.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bush-league. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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