disorient
verb
dis·ori·ent
(ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 
disoriented; disorienting; disorients
1
a
: to cause to lose bearings : displace from normal position or relationship
b
: to cause to lose the sense of time, place, or identity
2
: confuse
Synonyms
Examples of disorient in a Sentence
Thick fog can disorient even an experienced hiker.
troops disoriented by the sudden change in battle plans
Recent Examples on the Web
Advertisement Attempting to process the film’s anxiety-inducing sound design and disorienting sense of intense, imminent danger will be difficult for anyone, so the idea of immediately standing in front of an audience and coherently speaking about it seems near impossible.
—
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The atmosphere is subtly disorienting, a bit unnerving, as in a casino or an elite art fair during its early hours.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Its sound design is cacophonous, emphasizing every footstep, breath and gunshot to a disorienting degree, despite being rooted in the POV of characters whose hearing, and whose relationship to atmospheric sound, is ostensibly run-of-the-mill.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
All together, these approaches make World Wide Whack perversely fun, a disorienting merry-go-round of despair and uplift, rather than a linear path to victory or failure.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024
More than 80 percent of North America’s migratory birds travel at night and are highly susceptible to light pollution, according to the organization, which can cause them to be disoriented or collide with buildings, as well as delay migration, among other concerns.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
Moths, for example, can congregate around street lights to the point of exhaustion, while sea turtle hatchlings can die after becoming disoriented by artificial lighting near the shore.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024
But a substantial majority of the 40,000 Americans with CF have now lived through a miracle—a thrilling but disorienting miracle.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024
Why retirement matters and what to do about it
Future retirees are often disoriented and relatively anxious about this new phase in their lives.
—Graham Ward, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The atmosphere is subtly disorienting, a bit unnerving, as in a casino or an elite art fair during its early hours.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Its sound design is cacophonous, emphasizing every footstep, breath and gunshot to a disorienting degree, despite being rooted in the POV of characters whose hearing, and whose relationship to atmospheric sound, is ostensibly run-of-the-mill.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
All together, these approaches make World Wide Whack perversely fun, a disorienting merry-go-round of despair and uplift, rather than a linear path to victory or failure.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024
More than 80 percent of North America’s migratory birds travel at night and are highly susceptible to light pollution, according to the organization, which can cause them to be disoriented or collide with buildings, as well as delay migration, among other concerns.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
Moths, for example, can congregate around street lights to the point of exhaustion, while sea turtle hatchlings can die after becoming disoriented by artificial lighting near the shore.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024
But a substantial majority of the 40,000 Americans with CF have now lived through a miracle—a thrilling but disorienting miracle.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024
Why retirement matters and what to do about it
Future retirees are often disoriented and relatively anxious about this new phase in their lives.
—Graham Ward, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disorient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
French désorienter, from dés- dis- + orienter to orient
First Known Use
1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near disorient
Cite this Entry
“Disorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disorient. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
disorient
verb
dis·ori·ent
(ˈ)dis-ˈōr-ē-ˌent
-ˈȯr-
: to cause to be confused or lost
Medical Definition
disorient
transitive verb
dis·ori·ent
(ˈ)dis-ˈōr-ē-ˌent, -ˈȯr-
: to produce a state of disorientation in : disorientate
the next day the patient was disoriented but not comatose—Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association
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