disorient

[ dis-awr-ee-ent, -ohr- ]

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to lose one's way:

   The strange streets disoriented him.

2. to confuse by removing or obscuring something that has guided a person, group, or culture, as customs, moral standards, etc.:

   Society has been disoriented by changing values.

3. Psychiatry. to cause to lose perception of time, place, or one's personal identity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of disorient¹

1645–55; < French désorienter, equivalent to dés- dis- ¹ + orienter to orient

Example Sentences

The two men sat in the Oval Office and shook hands, a somewhat disorienting image given their history of volatile public feuds.

From Salon

Speaking from his own experience, Lewandowski noted that “this can feel like a rejection which can be disorienting and alienating.”

From Salon

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when everyone was disoriented and either fearing devastating new attacks or hysterically screaming for vengeance, he kept his head.

From Salon

As Williams rams her finger against a console button to lower her window, any fear that her disoriented passengers are experiencing as the incident seemingly escalates quickly gives way to dumbfounded laughter.

From Los Angeles Times

In The New Yorker, Helen Rosner said that Blanca "is not for beginners," referencing the "flavors that are strong, unexpected and occasionally disorienting."

From Salon

Related Words

• amaze
• astonish
• baffle
• befuddle
• bemuse
• complicate
• confound
• daze
• demoralize
• disconcert
• distract
• embarrass
• fluster
• frustrate
• involve
• misinform
• mislead
• mortify
• muddle
• mystify