disoriented
adjective
dis·ori·ent·ed
(ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌen-təd 
: having lost one's sense of time, place, or identity
She opened her eyes, startled and disoriented for an instant. The little cell she slept in was dismally black.—
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney SheldonSince fleeing to London, the 40-year-old businessman has had nightmares, chest pains and is so disoriented that he can barely look after his kids.—Tony Horwitz
Tony HorwitzHe remembered nothing for more than a few seconds. He was continually disoriented.—Oliver Sacks
Oliver SacksExamples of disoriented in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The disoriented hiker was 78-year-old Douglas Montgomery, an Eagle Scout and former scoutmaster who had trekked the same woods with Troop 10 of Burlingame, California, in the 1960s.
—Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2025
For the opening scene of the pilot, which finds a disoriented Helly struggling to escape from a locked and empty conference room as a voice questions her over the intercom, Lower studied video of police interrogations.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
The frantic, aggressive push to fire workers and gut spending has already upended dozens of lives across the Kansas City region, leaving disoriented ex-employees to try to pick up the pieces.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2025
The book’s polemical side, forged in the raging heat of appalling violence, is, understandably, more disoriented.
—Fintan O’Toole, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Individuals who awake from this type of sleep can be very disoriented and groggy, so Nadorff recommends letting sleep talkers and sleep walkers remain asleep when possible.
—Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2022
Meta has reportedly paused hiring in parts of the business and instituted efforts to weed out underperformers, and former employees say that many who stayed feel disoriented and uneasy.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2022
For Essner and Pie, that comparison speaks to just how disoriented pumpkin toadlets must be.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022
Cellos, violins, violas and other instruments lay on the train platform next to their young and disoriented owners.
—Justin Spike, Chron, 7 Mar. 2022
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Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2025
For the opening scene of the pilot, which finds a disoriented Helly struggling to escape from a locked and empty conference room as a voice questions her over the intercom, Lower studied video of police interrogations.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
The frantic, aggressive push to fire workers and gut spending has already upended dozens of lives across the Kansas City region, leaving disoriented ex-employees to try to pick up the pieces.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 28 Feb. 2025
The book’s polemical side, forged in the raging heat of appalling violence, is, understandably, more disoriented.
—Fintan O’Toole, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
Individuals who awake from this type of sleep can be very disoriented and groggy, so Nadorff recommends letting sleep talkers and sleep walkers remain asleep when possible.
—Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2022
Meta has reportedly paused hiring in parts of the business and instituted efforts to weed out underperformers, and former employees say that many who stayed feel disoriented and uneasy.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2022
For Essner and Pie, that comparison speaks to just how disoriented pumpkin toadlets must be.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022
Cellos, violins, violas and other instruments lay on the train platform next to their young and disoriented owners.
—Justin Spike, Chron, 7 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Disoriented.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disoriented. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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