as in confusing
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as in baffling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
troops disoriented by the sudden change in battle plans
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Recent Examples of disorienting
Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
Compounding that volume, legal workers say, is a disorienting veneer of legibility that AI can bring to flawed or baseless arguments.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
Told initially from his child-like perspective, the narrator reflects on a disorienting, puzzling day when his father picked him up late from school.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Another disorienting element in Netflix world is the company’s approach to paying actors, writers, and others.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
To judge by the disorienting sound of this album, middle-aged motherhood for her has been less an experience of setting down roots than of ripping them up.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
If this spreads, fans will likely test different decades and genres to find what creates the most disorienting effect at the free-throw line.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2026
The film mixes absurdist comedy and action, including a preposterous rooftop escape and a thrillingly disorienting car chase on desert roads.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Just a person singing pop songs really, really loudly — and somehow that’s more disorienting than anything else a crowd could throw at a free throw shooter.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Your everyday reality is disorienting change—but not the kind that freed Lippmann and his generation to shape their era.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Amid the normal disorienting din was a message with a link to an Instagram post.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026
Two therapists work in sync to create a continuous, enveloping rhythm that’s disorienting in the best way.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
There is something disorienting about treading water as your date catalogues their personal disappointments, each one hitting like a splash from the diving board.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Bentley felt a connection, having, in just his 40 years, grown up without the internet at home to being in this disorienting digital-smartphone-AI moment.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026
For North Texans already engaged in solar workforce training, the sudden policy reversal has been disorienting.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
Mehta’s first night proved to be disorienting on a continent with round-the-clock sunlight during the summer.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Ari Baylor, a 42-year-old from Rockville, Maryland, said his political shift has been gradual, but no less disorienting.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
Compounding that volume, legal workers say, is a disorienting veneer of legibility that AI can bring to flawed or baseless arguments.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
Told initially from his child-like perspective, the narrator reflects on a disorienting, puzzling day when his father picked him up late from school.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Another disorienting element in Netflix world is the company’s approach to paying actors, writers, and others.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
To judge by the disorienting sound of this album, middle-aged motherhood for her has been less an experience of setting down roots than of ripping them up.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
If this spreads, fans will likely test different decades and genres to find what creates the most disorienting effect at the free-throw line.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2026
The film mixes absurdist comedy and action, including a preposterous rooftop escape and a thrillingly disorienting car chase on desert roads.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Just a person singing pop songs really, really loudly — and somehow that’s more disorienting than anything else a crowd could throw at a free throw shooter.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
Your everyday reality is disorienting change—but not the kind that freed Lippmann and his generation to shape their era.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Your everyday reality is disorienting change—but not the kind that freed Lippmann and his generation to shape their era.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
Amid the normal disorienting din was a message with a link to an Instagram post.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026
Two therapists work in sync to create a continuous, enveloping rhythm that’s disorienting in the best way.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
There is something disorienting about treading water as your date catalogues their personal disappointments, each one hitting like a splash from the diving board.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Bentley felt a connection, having, in just his 40 years, grown up without the internet at home to being in this disorienting digital-smartphone-AI moment.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026
For North Texans already engaged in solar workforce training, the sudden policy reversal has been disorienting.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
Mehta’s first night proved to be disorienting on a continent with round-the-clock sunlight during the summer.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorienting
Adjective
-
The cash issue is confusing to many, as Media Capital Technologies has touted backing from MassMutual, a sizeable insurance and financial services company.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
-
In lesser hands, this could have been confusing; instead all the banter between a rock-spider-crawly alien entity and a handsome de-facto astronaut comes across as engaging and funny.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Though still fuming from his team’s baffling loss to the Bulls – the Warriors squandered an eight-point lead with 91 seconds remaining – Kerr found his composure long enough to crack a joke.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Project Hail Mary is an entertaining, if perplexing, film.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Radziwill’s absence has been somewhat perplexing.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Even a principled, well-meaning actor like Claude could face bewildering ethical conflicts.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Eagles were a confounding defending champion throughout the regular season.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Told initially from his child-like perspective, the narrator reflects on a disorienting, puzzling day when his father picked him up late from school.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Mets’ continual snub of Hall of Famer Carter, a pivotal player in the team’s history as the first building block of the 1986 championship club, is both mystifying and downright embarrassing.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The outlandish and mystifying story received nearly wall-to-wall coverage, but the plane was never found.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Was there any thought of ending there and leaving what happens next ambiguous?—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2026
-
But the broader dynamic is less ambiguous.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disorienting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorienting. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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