disorienting 1 of 2

disorienting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of disorient

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 disorienting
Adjective
Portman actually released no statement, and many critics noted that Cusk’s novel is more of an intentionally disorienting examination of the artifices of self and celebrity than a tell-all roman à clef. René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026 And Treasury’s intervention in bond markets threatens to make that hall of mirrors even more disorienting. Matt Egan, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 One of his lines of research seeks to distill our familiar world from the disorienting Hilbert space that encapsulates all the ways the universe could possibly be. Quanta Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026 The hours before kickoff can be just as disorienting as the game. Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 There’s something quite disorienting about Svalbard’s summer light. Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 The friends say trying to find their way back was quickly disorienting. Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 For many, the moment of liquidity itself can be disorienting. Nick Allardice, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026 This makes things all the more disorienting when, near the final act, Greg’s leg is chomped off by an allosaurus mid-mallet-fight, before the dino proceeds to eat him headfirst. Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
All that before disorienting and incapacitating a potential school shooter in about a minute. Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026 Residents should also keep their blinds closed at night to prevent indoor lighting from disorienting turtles. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026 By surrounding Brazilian funk’s fundamental elements with uncanny violin samples and disorienting synths, Agazero seems to offer a bleak vision of the way the country’s most popular genre has been distorted and misrepresented overseas. Amanda Cavalcanti, Pitchfork, 31 July 2026 And with peak travel season underway, millions of people may have to contend with this disorienting condition, which can cause sleep disturbances, daytime tiredness, headaches and nasty gastrointestinal symptoms. Laura Ungar, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026 Diametrically across her on the opposite wall and in a disorienting symbiotic echo is a drawing of legendary football player Pelé. Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026 After decades of work, the sudden lack of structure can be disorienting, prompting a search for new routines and purpose. Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Not everyone went slowly insane under such circumstances, as Bartleby does in Melville’s story, but the experience was disorienting all the same. Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 Whether Spatial surrounds its reggae-toasting host with piles of drums, disorienting electronic beats, or locomotive rock music, Scratch abides as crooner, barker, mystic, meditation coach — whatever the moment requires. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorienting
Adjective
  • Her coaching staff has worn IM8 swag, though things can get confusing because her coach, Anton Dubrov, is now part of the Eight Sleep team.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The decade-long fight — including the defeat of county efforts to keep the sand open to all, flip-flopping state laws and landowner lawsuits — has left beachgoers to navigate a confusing patchwork of beach access.
    Debbie Elliott, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Despite some protests about a dog contributing to the game, Buddy — clad in a bright blue jersey and two pairs of basketball kicks — scores baffling basket after baffling basket, leaving the other team shocked.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • While Loathe’s baffling compositional choices may jump out first, the album’s most glaring flaw is its production.
    Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
Adjective
  • Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of Craig’s performance was his limited rushing.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
  • That’s still the expectation, though the last several days have certainly been perplexing, if not necessarily worrisome.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The threats are constantly evolving, layering upon themselves with bewildering speed.
    Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • But these casting decisions are bewildering, to say the least, and will certainly cost the film ticket sales and potential revenue.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Adjective
  • Its study of dark matter and dark energy could also give scientists new insights into two of the most confounding puzzles in astronomy.
    Denise Chow, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Over the course of her prolific career, Zambreno has written 10 books — each as puzzling and surprising as the last.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The bizarre body plan Before this discovery, there was a puzzling 80-million-year gap in the fossil record.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • If you were born with Libra rising, your second house of money is passionate and Plutonian, ruled by the sultry and mystifying sign of Scorpio.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Seehorn received a nomination for lead actress in a drama series for her portrayal of cynical Carol Sturka, a fantasy romance author who finds herself in a mystifying situation after a virus seems to have wiped out most of Earth’s population.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Adjective
  • Bergman’s scenario famously reaches the deeply ambiguous point at which the personalities of the actress Elisabet Vogler and her nurse, Alma, seem to merge.
    Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • What remains are angry customers, ambiguous situations, exceptions, judgment calls and problems that have already failed one resolution attempt.
    Antony P Gregory, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disorienting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorienting. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster