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
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Flying werewolves on suspension cords, an oversized claw puppet that drags you into the darkness and separates you from your group, a disorienting mirror maze, moving floors — these are just a few of the theatrics performed nightly at Netherworld.
—Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
The disorienting quality of the past few days owes a lot to the fact that Paramount itself finally completed its merger with Skydance just two months ago.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
These disorienting films linger on the mind long after the credits roll.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Those long familiar with Pratt’s clownish agent-of-chaos persona both onscreen and on their social feeds may find his latest role disorienting.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
The first few battles are a disorienting experience.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Real transformations are relational, not transactional; rare; time- and attention-intensive; absolutely disorienting; and immersive.
—Brené Brown, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
Some critics find the lack of background material disorienting.
—New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Where is the mild varietal that recalls an afternoon garden, the smoke that relaxes without disorienting?
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
The gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, rustic environments, and disorienting camera tricks deliver elegance and unease in equal measure.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 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
When the officer shined a flashlight to get a closer look, Winkler aimed a laser at Santiago’s face, briefly disorienting him.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2025
What she’s produced is a searching, pointedly disorienting text, studded with passages of extreme beauty and generous humor, that wears whimsy like a shivering veil over consuming discomfort, even terror.
—Paul McAdory, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Skip to content For many Venezuelans, this is a disorienting moment.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Flying werewolves on suspension cords, an oversized claw puppet that drags you into the darkness and separates you from your group, a disorienting mirror maze, moving floors — these are just a few of the theatrics performed nightly at Netherworld.
—Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
The disorienting quality of the past few days owes a lot to the fact that Paramount itself finally completed its merger with Skydance just two months ago.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
These disorienting films linger on the mind long after the credits roll.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Those long familiar with Pratt’s clownish agent-of-chaos persona both onscreen and on their social feeds may find his latest role disorienting.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
The first few battles are a disorienting experience.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Real transformations are relational, not transactional; rare; time- and attention-intensive; absolutely disorienting; and immersive.
—Brené Brown, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
Some critics find the lack of background material disorienting.
—New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
According to Adams, Koehler forced the woman from her upstairs bedroom down to downstairs, purposely disorienting her — the basis for the kidnapping charge he was also found guilty of.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Where is the mild varietal that recalls an afternoon garden, the smoke that relaxes without disorienting?
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
The gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, rustic environments, and disorienting camera tricks deliver elegance and unease in equal measure.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 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
When the officer shined a flashlight to get a closer look, Winkler aimed a laser at Santiago’s face, briefly disorienting him.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2025
What she’s produced is a searching, pointedly disorienting text, studded with passages of extreme beauty and generous humor, that wears whimsy like a shivering veil over consuming discomfort, even terror.
—Paul McAdory, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorienting
Adjective
-
Outside of safety concerns, a toy intended for an older child can be frustrating and confusing to younger children.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Without that administrative approval, Medicare patients — and their doctors — have been left in a very complicated and confusing limbo.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The pilot of a private jet reportedly made an eerie discovery while flying thousands of feet over Rhode Island, marking the latest in unexplained encounters baffling both experts and civilians alike.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
22 Dec. 2025
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From financial wipeouts to baffling misreads of beloved source material, some of Hollywood’s most notorious flops began as video games.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The movie is hilarious, fun, disturbing, perplexing, exuberant, exhausting.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The canon can already be described as a bewildering artistic menagerie, including a perplexing assessment of misandrism, body horror by Brian Yuzna, killer toys from the ’90s, and more.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
And aren’t our real-life romantic complications bewildering enough?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
-
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
Adjective
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What is the most confounding and terrible, however, is Gretchen’s assertion that Slade, the anti-Viagra, doesn’t get involved with the women on his own accord, but only engages because the women always talk about him.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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The offense’s struggles are the most confounding.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some people say puzzling offers more than simple entertainment.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Jan. 2026
-
But the decision to leave Robertson at home is a puzzling one that has enraged both Stars fans and hockey fans across the country.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That has made his sophomore slump all the more mystifying, as Kasper has just six points (three goals, three assists) through 43 games this season.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Over the course of the 80-minute show, Gonzo shoots out of a cannon, Fozzie performs stand-up, and Kermit assists Lake with a mystifying card trick.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
14 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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With stunning celerity, possibility becomes probability and then certainty, as readers reject the quiet, circuitous, and unglamorous narratives of prudential compromise, ambiguous diplomacy, or incremental progress.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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Ibsen’s choice to use Hedda’s maiden name for the play speaks to her resistance to the strong presence of men in her life; DaCosta’s choice to remove the surname entirely speaks to a rejection of patriarchal identity, replaced with an ambiguous void that Hedda herself doesn’t know how to fill.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disorienting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorienting. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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