disorient
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause to lose one's way.
The strange streets disoriented him.
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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.
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Psychiatry. to cause to lose perception of time, place, or one's personal identity.
Etymology
Origin of disorient
1645–55; < French désorienter, equivalent to dés- dis- 1 + orienter to orient
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Participants in full kit first workout on treadmill climbers and other gym machines, then crawl through the maze as strobe lights, smoke and loud noises are added to disorient them.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2024
The story uses sporadic live-action scenes to unnerve and disorient players and make them question whether they can really trust what they’re seeing.
From Washington Times • Nov. 25, 2023
Activists have been calling on buildings to turn off bright lights, which can disorient birds.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2023
“The Willows” instead aims to disorient the audience, through improvisation and light games, until the mystery centers on us.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2022
Here on earth, orienting yourself depends on the feeling you get from the pull of gravity, plus your vision. just being blindfolded is enough to disorient some people.
From The Flying Saucers are Real by Keyhoe, Donald E. (Donald Edward)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
