disoriented

adjective

dis·​ori·​ent·​ed (ˌ)dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌen-təd 

: having lost one's sense of time, place, or identity

She opened her eyes, startled and disoriented for an instant. The little cell she slept in was dismally black.

—Sidney Sheldon

Since fleeing to London, the 40-year-old businessman has had nightmares, chest pains and is so disoriented that he can barely look after his kids.

—Tony Horwitz

He remembered nothing for more than a few seconds. He was continually disoriented.

—Oliver Sacks

Examples of disoriented in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Individuals who awake from this type of sleep can be very disoriented and groggy, so Nadorff recommends letting sleep talkers and sleep walkers remain asleep when possible. —Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2022

Meta has reportedly paused hiring in parts of the business and instituted efforts to weed out underperformers, and former employees say that many who stayed feel disoriented and uneasy. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2022

For Essner and Pie, that comparison speaks to just how disoriented pumpkin toadlets must be. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022

Cellos, violins, violas and other instruments lay on the train platform next to their young and disoriented owners. —Justin Spike, Chron, 7 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above