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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disorienting
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2026
But that’s where things get disorienting.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
The buzzing underground networks are an important part of the modern, urban lifestyle in Canada’s coldest metropolises, and can be fascinating — and disorienting — for visitors.
—Vivian Song, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
The feeling of watching the movie is entirely disorienting and completely hilarious.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
When such a place is hollowed out, the loss lands like a death — sudden, disorienting and strangely private, because grief for culture is often dismissed as indulgent.
—Helmut Paul, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
His interest lies with the plain, untitled youth, and with how this newly disorienting, newly dazzling world helped to shape his greatness.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The multiple locations—and, for the first time in Olympic history, dual cauldrons, in Milan and the mountain town of Cortina—could be a bit disorienting, especially with the Parade of Nations splitting up delegations of athletes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 7 Feb. 2026
For conservatives, that’s been especially disorienting and troubling.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
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
The effect is both disorienting at times and impactful.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 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
Mom mode is disorienting on a visceral level.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The cinematography does its job, but the editing lacks bite, and the sound design is actively disorienting.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2026
But that’s where things get disorienting.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
The buzzing underground networks are an important part of the modern, urban lifestyle in Canada’s coldest metropolises, and can be fascinating — and disorienting — for visitors.
—Vivian Song, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
The feeling of watching the movie is entirely disorienting and completely hilarious.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
When such a place is hollowed out, the loss lands like a death — sudden, disorienting and strangely private, because grief for culture is often dismissed as indulgent.
—Helmut Paul, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
His interest lies with the plain, untitled youth, and with how this newly disorienting, newly dazzling world helped to shape his greatness.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
The multiple locations—and, for the first time in Olympic history, dual cauldrons, in Milan and the mountain town of Cortina—could be a bit disorienting, especially with the Parade of Nations splitting up delegations of athletes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 7 Feb. 2026
For conservatives, that’s been especially disorienting and troubling.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
The effect is both disorienting at times and impactful.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 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
Mom mode is disorienting on a visceral level.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorienting
Adjective
-
Things got even more confusing when make-up artist Alexis Stone posted a picture of a prosthetic on Instagram alongside photos of Carrey at the awards show.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Mar. 2026
-
For people who deal with a parent with addiction issues, that can be really confusing and painful.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Georgia basketball’s matchup with Tennessee ended in baffling fashion Wednesday night.—
Olivia Sayer,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Mamdani’s revenue estimates look realistic rather than usefully bleak; notwithstanding his perplexing series of revisions, the gap appears to be real.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The craze is perplexing to parents, but Bennett said the Hornets have embraced it to bring joy to young people.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 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
-
The instinct to head back to a war zone may seem puzzling, but the reality on the ground generally isn’t as dire as the headlines suggest.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
This puzzling behavior has long raised questions about how materials without a regular molecular structure can still remain mechanically stable.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The outlandish and mystifying story received nearly wall-to-wall coverage, but the plane was never found.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) January 31, 2026 Then Peterson played just three minutes in the second half before heading to the bench, limited by the return of nagging injuries that have sidelined him for a good portion of his mystifying rookie season.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Times when a gay man from Texas needn’t rely on ambiguous pronouns and discreet interviews to court a broad audience.—
Brian Howe,
Pitchfork,
6 Mar. 2026
-
And as a result, the show — accompanied by some quite instructive poster art — stays true to the book’s lusty approach to ethically ambiguous relationships in academia.—
Elaina Patton,
IndieWire,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disorienting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorienting. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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