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
Thanks to their annual visits to Levi’s Stadium, the Seahawks are vastly better equipped to deal with both the electromagnetic field produced by the nearby substation and the lingering, discombobulating audio waves from the Flight Deck ride at Great America.
—
Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Patriots defenders may be expected Sunday to mimic a cacophony of various loud bird chirps near the line of scrimmage in an effort to discombobulate Darnold.
—Greg Cote
february 3, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Seeing Sparkle cry about Landfair’s experience — something that Landfair hadn’t fully come to terms with — was discombobulating and infuriating.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Patriots defenders may be expected Sunday to mimic a cacophony of various loud bird chirps near the line of scrimmage in an effort to discombobulate Darnold.
—Greg Cote
february 3, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Seeing Sparkle cry about Landfair’s experience — something that Landfair hadn’t fully come to terms with — was discombobulating and infuriating.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discombobulate
Verb
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Now, many millions of Americans are bewildered by events.—
David French,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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According to Baumgartner, the decision stemmed from network concerns that the gag could confuse viewers or suggest a storyline involving Kevin.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
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The city checks for duplicate names, similar-sounding names, spelling conflicts, and anything that could slow down or confuse an emergency response.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The decision has baffled Apatow’s team and inner circle.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
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The steel pipe's unexpected growth spurt was reported to police early Wednesday by a pedestrian who saw broken pieces of asphalt falling from the cylinder, baffling people passing by and causing traffic congestion.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 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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So the absence of any real investment in the interior offensive line this offseason is puzzling.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Those are the issues that have always puzzled me about people who get hung up on the idea of retroactive Social Security benefits.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Powell acknowledged he was befuddled by persistent gains in housing prices, considering the job market was weakening.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Discombobulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discombobulate. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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