as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
our grandmother seems a bit discombobulated by all of this birthday fuss
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Recent Examples of discombobulate
And then there’s the cuteness of its progression indicator—verbs like crunching, moseying, perusing, reticulating, discombobulating and zesting.
—
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 31 Jan. 2026
Tariffs may slow economic growth, discombobulate markets and boost inflation.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Teams are now pressing more and more, hoping to cause turnovers and discombobulate offenses.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
However, the system has been discombobulated already, and the impact is likely to reach the Thanksgiving holiday.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 31 Jan. 2026
Tariffs may slow economic growth, discombobulate markets and boost inflation.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Teams are now pressing more and more, hoping to cause turnovers and discombobulate offenses.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
However, the system has been discombobulated already, and the impact is likely to reach the Thanksgiving holiday.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discombobulate
Verb
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McNutt housed some 700 kids — about one-third of the population of French Lick — and Bird found the campus outside the dormitory walls bewildering.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Even a principled, well-meaning actor like Claude could face bewildering ethical conflicts.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After Survivor 50 aired its premiere episode on Wednesday, fans were confused when no official podcast from Jeff Probst appeared in their feeds.—
Staff Author,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Feb. 2026
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The city’s 20 video cameras are shifted from box to box to confuse criminals.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Mount predator baffles and guards to the pole or tree during installation.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
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Despite reading Whitney’s letter at least twice, Henry — a narcissist — seems baffled that Whitney is not more contrite.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These are the brutally real snapshots of a man well acquainted with—but still perplexed by—the powerful and destructive forces that lord over our lives.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
4 Mar. 2026
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Hour said he was perplexed by his liberal friends expressing their condolences.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement No one knew ahead of time which puzzle they’d be asked to solve.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
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The poor rott just stood there with its tail tucked between its legs, puzzled.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Shares are erasing some of those two-day losses on Monday, but our overarching point about the befuddling post-earnings market reaction holds true.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
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Desire Doue let the ball run through his legs, befuddling his marker to such a degree that the only sensible reaction was laughter.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discombobulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discombobulate. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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