as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
troops disoriented by the sudden change in battle plans
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Recent Examples of disorient
Light pollution can also disorient migrating birds, leading them to fatal collisions with buildings in large cities.
—
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025
But even for elite university students, Lot 49’s disorienting prose concerning the Tristero conspiracy, and the 1960s paranoia of San Narciso, takes time to unpack.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Her account reflects the disorienting new normal for a generation raised under the shadow of war.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The time spent in that courtroom in Avignon was disturbing and disorienting for Babonneau and Camus.
—Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disorient
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025
But even for elite university students, Lot 49’s disorienting prose concerning the Tristero conspiracy, and the 1960s paranoia of San Narciso, takes time to unpack.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Her account reflects the disorienting new normal for a generation raised under the shadow of war.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The time spent in that courtroom in Avignon was disturbing and disorienting for Babonneau and Camus.
—Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disorient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorient
Verb
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Her daughter was confused, and eventually asked Nasser for an explanation as to what had been said.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Until finally, he is baffled by the very mystery of life, love, and death.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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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
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The panic around him, frankly, has been puzzling.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
1 Nov. 2025
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While Tesla's Mad Max Mode isn't designed to be outright dangerous, its reintroduction following its original 2018 release is puzzling because of scrutiny on the brand's true semi-autonomous driving capabilities.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorient. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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