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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disorient
This was not a hoax, exactly; Baron makes a convincing case that Lowell believed passionately in his grandiose claims, and that many members of the public wanted to believe in them, at a time of disorienting change.
—
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Ultimately, this film’s absurd existentialist deadpan aligns Lanthimos’ work here closer to Ruben Östlund than ever — himself a filmmaker likely drawing from Lanthimos these days — to mine the comedy of repetitious futility to disorienting effect.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Symptoms vary, but can include deer appearing disoriented, showing little to no fear of humans, appearing feverish, having respiratory distress, and pronounced swelling of head, neck, tongue and eyelids.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025
The blending of genres can be disorienting.
—G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disorient
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
Ultimately, this film’s absurd existentialist deadpan aligns Lanthimos’ work here closer to Ruben Östlund than ever — himself a filmmaker likely drawing from Lanthimos these days — to mine the comedy of repetitious futility to disorienting effect.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Symptoms vary, but can include deer appearing disoriented, showing little to no fear of humans, appearing feverish, having respiratory distress, and pronounced swelling of head, neck, tongue and eyelids.
—Gillian Stawiszynski, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025
The blending of genres can be disorienting.
—G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disorient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorient
Verb
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Yes, God confuses the language and scatters everyone, thereby creating linguistic and cultural diversity.—
John Fugelsang
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
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Its ginormous investments in higher-value, tech-heavy sectors from smartphones to autos to semiconductors to biotechnology are disrupting the global landscape at bewildering speed.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For nearly 20 years, astronomers have been perplexed by the strange disk of dust and debris circling Fomalhaut, a bright star just 25 light-years from Earth.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
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Many historians have been perplexed by how such a seemingly simple man as Shakespeare could have written works of such grandeur and depth.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The result is a set of policies that has baffled some China experts, or at least raised questions about the president’s stance on America’s friendly rival.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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In the last few years, researchers have stumbled upon baffling signals from deep space, uncovered strange features hiding beneath our oceans, and found clues that hint at life’s secrets on other worlds.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When Amy Astley became editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest in 2016, many in the design world were puzzled.—
Jane Hanson,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Staying away from puzzling lines like this is typically the best move.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disorient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorient. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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