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
The effect is disorienting—like a yearbook laid out by Mondrian—but, precisely for that reason, revelatory.
—
Max Norman, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
But within minutes of hiking into the desert, creosote bushes and mesquite pull the sand into disorienting mounds that can, without warning, block the view in every direction.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 2 June 2025
Wishman shot her punk film without live sound and synced it afterward, further disorienting its maverick horrors.
—Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 2 June 2025
If the above listings look disorienting or intimidating, just know that the College World Series is double-elimination style across two brackets — think of those as the Friday and Saturday sides.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for disorient
Max Norman, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
But within minutes of hiking into the desert, creosote bushes and mesquite pull the sand into disorienting mounds that can, without warning, block the view in every direction.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 2 June 2025
Wishman shot her punk film without live sound and synced it afterward, further disorienting its maverick horrors.
—Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 2 June 2025
If the above listings look disorienting or intimidating, just know that the College World Series is double-elimination style across two brackets — think of those as the Friday and Saturday sides.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for disorient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorient
Verb
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The man is Jack Ryan, not to be confused with the Jack Ryan dreamed up by Tom Clancy.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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And some say they were confused by what their leases said about renters’ insurance, and they were left without coverage.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Lynskey says she’s been bewildered by the fans who’ve directed online vitriol at Shauna this season, while seemingly forgiving the sins of Shauna’s husband Jeff (Warren Cole) and the heinous crimes committed by Misty (Christina Ricci).—
Todd Longwell,
Variety,
2 June 2025
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Both were bewildered by this fashion design travesty.—
Sherry Kuehl,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2025
Verb
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The stock comeback of the last two months has perplexed many investors, who remain befuddled by the market's insistence to look past conflict, tariffs and major challenges to the economic outlook, to make short work of recovering losses from their April lows.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
20 June 2025
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That wasn't enough to heal Carol's injury, however, leaving her owner perplexed about how to help the pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Verb
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When Burrell wasn’t tapped to join the show’s 28th season in January — after playing a central role in the first 27 — viewers were appalled and even Burrell was baffled.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2025
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Many bat species live for 20 to 40 years, in the wild or in captivity, baffling scientists.—
Jenny Lehmann,
Discover Magazine,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Particularly in the Eastern Conference, where the window continues to widen because of nightmare injuries, free agency departures, and puzzling decisions to fire head coaches (looking at you, Knicks).—
Shane Young,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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There is a small and puzzling group of contract manufacturers — Flex , Celestica and Jabil — with stock moves that defy logic.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorient. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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