disorient

verb

dis·​ori·​ent (ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent 

disoriented; disorienting; disorients

transitive verb

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

• confuse
• bewilder
• perplex
• baffle
• puzzle

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

Others that are being thrust upon us, however, are beginning to feel disorienting or and borderline intrusive. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Even then, though, the total experience is so disorienting that its mere existence is half the pleasure. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025

This should be a rather cool (if visually disorienting) thing to watch. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025

Released in the summer of 2021, Old resonated with a world still reeling from pandemic stress—a strange, prescient fable about the ethics of medicine and the disorienting sensation of time being both hyper-accelerated and eerily suspended. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

French désorienter, from dés- dis- + orienter to orient

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for disorient

• misrepresent
• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent

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

—The Journal of the American Medical Association