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

• addle
• baffle
• bamboozle
• beat
• befog
• befuddle
• bemuse
• bewilder
• buffalo
• confound
• confuse
• discombobulate
• flummox
• fox
• fuddle
• get
• gravel
• maze
• muddle
• muddy
• mystify
• perplex
• pose
• puzzle
• vex

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

Because, just as recently as last week, J.D. Vance said he's disoriented and disturbed that the head of the most powerful teachers union in the country doesn't have a single child. —CBS News, 8 Sep. 2024

Hikers can also get disoriented when traveling the Barker Dam loop because the main attraction is often bone dry. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2024

Caught short by the disorienting speed with which Vice President Kamala Harris has become the presumptive 2024 Democratic nominee for president, Trump has struggled to come up with attack lines against her. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 July 2024

Overheating has been blamed for the fatal collapse of a Death Valley tourist who tried to drive away from a trailhead while disoriented. —Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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