discombobulated

adjective

dis·​com·​bob·​u·​lat·​ed ˌdis-kəm-ˈbä-b(y)ə-ˌlā-təd How to pronounce discombobulated (audio)
informal
: characterized by confusion or disorder
He was discombobulated, utterly confused as to what had happened.Michael Hall
But you've also probably noticed that oversleeping can make you feel discombobulatedChristopher Bergland
Detroit's offensive line was a discombobulated mess of failing health and poor performance last year …Nate Atkins
see also discombobulate

Examples of discombobulated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the discombobulated midst of a strike and a festival season, stand-alone shorts — a category generally confined to film-nerd niche or career steppingstone — have suddenly emerged as the passion projects of several name-brand auteurs. Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023 But the discombobulated series has lost the thread of storytelling that hooked so many viewers and critics for the first four seasons. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2022 The dfenseman then fired a shot that Glendening deflected past a discombobulated Ullmark. Steve Conroy, courant.com, 30 Jan. 2022 In my discombobulated mood, the trippy, meditative, gorgeous installations of Superblue washed over me as a respite and solace. New York Times, 18 Mar. 2021 Meanwhile, cinematographer Carlo Di Palma shoots in a near-experimental style, all handheld camera work and vérité placement, that puts us in the same frenzied, discombobulated headspace of the characters. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 17 Feb. 2023 The recipes included in the incendiary cookbook would undoubtedly leave him—almost certainly a him—in a discombobulated state. Amanda Arnold, Bon Appétit, 23 June 2022 But the power play went 1 for 6, and got booed after a discombobulated and failed chance in the third period. Dallas News, 9 May 2022 But the team otherwise looked discombobulated, coughing up the ball way too much and looking to score through Sanogo. Alexa Philippou, courant.com, 24 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discombobulated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of discombobulated was in 1863

Dictionary Entries Near discombobulated

Cite this Entry

“Discombobulated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discombobulated. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on discombobulated

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!