as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
our grandmother seems a bit discombobulated by all of this birthday fuss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discombobulate
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.
—
Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
As disparate and discombobulating as each of these elements seem, they were tied together by the show’s enduring theme, the city of Los Angeles, which was then used to provide a subset of themes for each subsequent episode.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2025
Her flashbacks present throughout the film as these trippy visions with a discombobulating first-person POV.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
The full story is very rarely told from one angle, but the sight of Kelly warming the bench this season has been discombobulating.
—Megan Feringa, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
As disparate and discombobulating as each of these elements seem, they were tied together by the show’s enduring theme, the city of Los Angeles, which was then used to provide a subset of themes for each subsequent episode.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2025
Her flashbacks present throughout the film as these trippy visions with a discombobulating first-person POV.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
The full story is very rarely told from one angle, but the sight of Kelly warming the bench this season has been discombobulating.
—Megan Feringa, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discombobulate
Verb
-
Nandi is experiencing severe insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her quickly deteriorating condition bewilders the emergency room staff.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Gelles avoids lionizing Patagonia’s leader, describing Chouinard’s mercurial leadership style that often bewildered his staff at Patagonia.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her daughter was confused, and eventually asked Nasser for an explanation as to what had been said.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
-
At her spring show, Marie-Adam Leenaerdt brought back the style, but her shiny spandex stocking version ensures no one confuses the look for child’s play.—
Laia Garcia-Furtado,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Until finally, he is baffled by the very mystery of life, love, and death.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
One morning, members of the Fort Greely missile defense base spot an ICBM of unknown origin on a suborbital trajectory heading straight for Chicago, baffling the country’s top intelligence and defense teams who only have 18 minutes to respond before impact.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Country fans were perplexed as to why Johnson, revered for his commitment to traditional country, had gone mostly dark in the studio during that time.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Lauren Freeman, his cousin, told Fox News Digital earlier this month that a reference to orthopedic hardware in his neck had perplexed the family.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Actors’ Equity membership puzzled me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
-
There was, however, one puzzling factor.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After allowing a first-inning run, Gausman retired 17 straight Los Angeles Dodgers hitters, befuddling one of the most talented lineups in the history of the sport.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
-
OpenAI appeared befuddled at the bad reception and promised to make changes.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discombobulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discombobulate. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share