as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
our grandmother seems a bit discombobulated by all of this birthday fuss
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Recent Examples of discombobulate
To completely discombobulate him, someone like me heaving all over him with lips and eyes and bosom, to turn this nerd.
—
Vulture, 29 Dec. 2022
Authorities said a beam of light aimed at an aircraft could discombobulate and even temporarily blind the pilot in the cockpit.
—Matt Bruce, ajc, 30 July 2022
Scientists have known for years about bony fish, sharks, worms, jellies, corals, and other marine creatures that light up to attract mates, lure prey, or discombobulate predators.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2021
These molecular tests search the genomic manuscript with about as much precision as the Ctrl+F function on a computer, which means that even single-letter typos—that is, simple RNA mutations—can discombobulate them.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Vulture, 29 Dec. 2022
Authorities said a beam of light aimed at an aircraft could discombobulate and even temporarily blind the pilot in the cockpit.
—Matt Bruce, ajc, 30 July 2022
Scientists have known for years about bony fish, sharks, worms, jellies, corals, and other marine creatures that light up to attract mates, lure prey, or discombobulate predators.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2021
These molecular tests search the genomic manuscript with about as much precision as the Ctrl+F function on a computer, which means that even single-letter typos—that is, simple RNA mutations—can discombobulate them.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discombobulate
Verb
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That’s all bewildering plot-wise, but Morrison also bewilders readers through language.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2025
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Meanwhile, Ukrainians are bewildered, wondering how the U.S. went so quickly from isolating the Kremlin to appearing to embrace it.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But don't confuse him with Chris Evans' Human Torch who first cropped up in the 2005 Fantastic Four film and made a memorable cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine last year.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
26 Mar. 2025
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Lesson 2: Don't confuse the end user with the paying customer.—
Mark Francis,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Most were baffled at the fact the eggs still contained actual egg.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
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However, she’s baffled at why social media activity may have contributed to the arrest.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For a former player who was known as a cutthroat defender, he was perplexed by his players’ disappointing effort.—
Felipe Cardenas,
The Athletic,
21 Mar. 2025
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However, she too was perplexed about the role of the pro-prefect.—
Elisabetta Povoledo,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The only thing here that does puzzle me is that the Metal Build Zeta Gundam costs the same, but this Metal Build God Gundam doesn’t transform.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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The addition of Ingram was particularly puzzling given that the team is already in possession of RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Too long of an instruction can sometimes befuddle the generative AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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The crowd looked befuddled, but Dugin cottoned at once.—
James Verini,
The New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Discombobulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discombobulate. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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