as in bewildering
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
troops disoriented by the sudden change in battle plans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in confusing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
The plot might seem repetitive, going back and forth between Violet trying to follow the anonymous rules and worming her way out of them to seek help (only to be outsmarted), but the movie’s exciting, stage-like formal flourishes and its disorienting lensing keep things moving smoothly.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025
Having your home taken apart to build someone else’s sounds nothing short of disorienting.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025
Defying professional orthodoxies about keeping widescreen framings wide and widescreen editing simple, Ray relies copiously on closeups, quick montages, and distorting and disorienting diagonal angles.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025
Observing the politics, posturing, and commentary in this year’s first few weeks has been disorienting for many.
—The Sorenson Impact Institute, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Don’t be in the shot and make sure the background is not distracting or casting disorienting shadows.
—Hank Sanders, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
The genre revels in spatially disorienting the player.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Its story, punctuated by the sensation of war as a disorienting constant, first took shape in 2019, only for the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War to shape it further the following year — eventually leading to the displacement of over a hundred thousand Armenians in 2023.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Interviews with investigators and other parties invested in these cases use shifting, disorienting focus to disguise people’s physical details.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
The plot might seem repetitive, going back and forth between Violet trying to follow the anonymous rules and worming her way out of them to seek help (only to be outsmarted), but the movie’s exciting, stage-like formal flourishes and its disorienting lensing keep things moving smoothly.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2025
Having your home taken apart to build someone else’s sounds nothing short of disorienting.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025
Defying professional orthodoxies about keeping widescreen framings wide and widescreen editing simple, Ray relies copiously on closeups, quick montages, and distorting and disorienting diagonal angles.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025
Observing the politics, posturing, and commentary in this year’s first few weeks has been disorienting for many.
—The Sorenson Impact Institute, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Don’t be in the shot and make sure the background is not distracting or casting disorienting shadows.
—Hank Sanders, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
The genre revels in spatially disorienting the player.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Its story, punctuated by the sensation of war as a disorienting constant, first took shape in 2019, only for the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War to shape it further the following year — eventually leading to the displacement of over a hundred thousand Armenians in 2023.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disorienting
Adjective
-
At least there’s still perplexing songs to listen to.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
23 July 2025
-
The accusations of bad faith are not only perplexing but inaccurate.—
The Daily News,
New York Daily News,
16 July 2025
Verb
-
Researchers are particularly focused on unraveling the puzzling interplay between gas content, magma pressure and lava flow dynamics.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Almost two years into his ordeal, Gould learned of an initiative at the National Institutes of Health that focuses on solving the country’s most puzzling medical cases.—
Jason Liebowitz,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
What makes this reversal not just baffling but dangerous is its context.—
Lynn Northcutt Vega,
Sun Sentinel,
29 July 2025
-
Here’s the most baffling part of the Republican budget bill, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) writes in an op-ed for The Washington Post.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Amazon With a bewildering array of colorful smart lighting for any occasion, Govee is an affordable alternative to brands like Philips Hue.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
11 July 2025
-
The number of color swatches and leather/fabric samples is bewildering.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Automate routine monitoring, but require cross-functional review for ambiguous or high-impact alerts, providing clear explanations.—
Dr. Chiranjiv Roy,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
At times, though, there’s nothing ambiguous or veiled in his work.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Whether Landry’s hot start continues is, of course, unknowable.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
24 July 2025
-
One feels chosen by the object of one’s desire, even as the locus of conversion remains unknowable, shrouded in some unconscious need.—
Terry Nguyen
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
Her scream resonated with the one in my chest while also being incomprehensible and beyond me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 July 2025
-
Without answers, the grieving process was incomprehensible.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disorienting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disorienting. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share