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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of discombobulate
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
His absence clearly discombobulated Denver’s defense after a tremendous first half, as second-year corner Kris Abrams-Draine filled in for Surtain but couldn’t prevent Dallas wideouts CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens from getting going on a lengthy scoring drive.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
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
His absence clearly discombobulated Denver’s defense after a tremendous first half, as second-year corner Kris Abrams-Draine filled in for Surtain but couldn’t prevent Dallas wideouts CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens from getting going on a lengthy scoring drive.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discombobulate
Verb
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Oswalt confesses being bewildered by Bamford at first.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
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No matter what the reasons, Belichick, his former Patriots players and NFL fans, are bewildered by the snub.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The California Department of Public Health is urging people to avoid mushroom foraging altogether this year because death cap mushrooms are easily confused with safe, edible varieties.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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Germany's exact medal count is a point of contention because Germany has not always competed in each Olympics as a unified country, which can lead to confusing medal counts.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Their tactics really baffle their strategy.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Homeowners and residents are baffled by the attacks upon their beautiful — but otherwise seemingly useless — plants.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The moment became viral on social media, with some X users perplexed at the interview.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
11 Feb. 2026
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That’s perplexing to Alvarez and Oakley, given that Cal State tuition is still relatively low, despite recent annual tuition hikes.—
Cal Matters,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet along with the congratulations to Schofield and her husband, Michael, came a rather puzzling rejoinder.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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Store employees were puzzled about any alleged involvement with El Primo.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was less intimidated by its befuddling organization and had grown accustomed to the antiquated spellings and the nearly illegible, unpunctuated scribblings of harried seventeenth-century officials.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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And any Rams fan who was around for that game probably remembers Dieter Brock, and the irony that the quarterback the Rams brought in from the Canadian Football League was befuddled by winds that reached up to 23 mph, to go with 36 degree temperatures and 26-degree wind chill.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Discombobulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discombobulate. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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