discombobulate

[ dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-leyt ]

See synonyms for: discombobulate discombobulated discombobulation on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),dis·com·bob·u·lat·ed, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ing.

Informal. to confuse or disconcert; confound; bewilder: The speaker was completely discombobulated by the hecklers.

Origin of discombobulate

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

Other words for discombobulate

befuddle, dumbfound, nonplus; agitate, disturb, perturb, upset

See synonyms for discombobulate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from discombobulate

dis·com·bob·u·la·tion [dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-ley-shuhn], /ˌdɪs kəmˌbɒb yəˈleɪ ʃən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use discombobulate in a sentence

And this bit of information that they had discovered that started the discombobulation process of Nixon – the stuff about Colson.
David Frost on Frost/Nixon | The Daily Beast | December 6, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for discombobulate

discombobulate

/ (ˌdɪskəmˈbɒbjʊˌleɪt) /

verb

(tr) informal, mainly US and Canadian to throw into confusion

Origin of discombobulate

C20: probably a whimsical alteration of discompose or discomfit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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