discombobulate

[ dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-leyt ]

verb (used with object)

, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ed, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ing.

1. Informal. to confuse or disconcert; confound; bewilder:

   The speaker was completely discombobulated by the hecklers.

   Synonyms: upset, perturb, disturb, agitate, nonplus, dumbfound, befuddle

discombobulate

/ ˌdɪskəmˈbɒbjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. informal.
   tr to throw into confusion

Other Words From

• dis·com·bob·u·la·tion [dis-k, uh, m-bob-y, uh, -, ley, -sh, uh, n], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of discombobulate¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1825–35; fanciful alteration of discompose or discomfort

Word History and Origins

Origin of discombobulate¹

C20: probably a whimsical alteration of discompose or discomfit

Example Sentences

By celebrating and rearranging furniture, the revelers discombobulate the deceased so they don’t want to stay, ensuring the spirit crosses over.

From Washington Blade

Using their antennae, assassin bugs tap spiders, which appears to discombobulate the arachnids long enough to let the bugs make a toxic strike, researchers report September 29 in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

From Science News

Yet as Tampa Bay discombobulated Kansas City in a 31-9 victory, the greatest statement wasn’t what Brady proved to his former team or anyone else wondering whether he still had it at age 43.

From Washington Post

A personal assault by you on me will wake these people up and discombobulate Goldsmith.

From Project Gutenberg

They may copy my style till all's blue, but they won't discombobulate me.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• befuddle
• bewilder
• confound
• disconcert
• fluster

More About Discombobulate

Where does discombobulate come from?

Discombobulate, meaning “to confuse, frustrate,” sounds like something straight out of a cartoon. It was first recorded in the form discomboberate in the early 1800s, and apparently originated as a humorous imitation of hifalutin-sounding Latin words. We can also detect  the influence of words with similar senses like discomfit or discompose in it.

Many more amusing Americanisms await in our slideshow “These Wacky Words Originated In The USA.”

Did you know … ?

Discombobulate has some shorter (but arguably less-fun-to-say) synonyms in baffle, befuddle, and frustrate.

Straighten all this discombobulation out with more synonyms on Thesaurus.com. Try the word confuse, for starters.

Discombobulate also has some notable pop culture connections. The score of the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes features a track entitled “Discombobulate,” composed by Hans Zimmer. That title takes its name from a line spoken by the title character during a memorable boxing match, which spawned a meme known as Discombobulate.