disoriented
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of disoriented
Explanation
To be disoriented is to feel lost or confused. People who are disoriented either don’t know where they are because they’ve lost their sense of direction, or they don’t know who they are because they’ve lost their sense of self. Disoriented people feel confused, particularly about place and purpose. If you’ve ever been lost in a new city, you’ve felt disoriented. If you bring a squirrel into your house, it’ll probably be disoriented and bonk into a wall. Getting a concussion could make you disoriented. Diseases like Alzheimer’s can make people feel disoriented. Being disoriented is a confusing, scary feeling. Disoriented comes from the French word that means "to turn from the east."
Vocabulary lists containing disoriented
The Kite Runner
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The Sea of Monsters
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The Unteachables
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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.
The hovering putti Titian portrays seem, like Europa, disoriented by the powers of a primal world in which Zeus is like an untamed force of nature, beyond human control or understanding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Prior to going missing Smyth had contacted rescuers from Tiganesti to say he was disoriented and physically exhausted.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Certainly, I felt a bit like Odysseus as I crept — drained, disoriented and trailing popcorn crumbs like Ithican sand — out into the sun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Mary is disoriented and desperate, and the mere sight of her assures Sam that whatever favor Mary asks for, Sam can attach strings to.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
I sleep the day away and wake disoriented, battling my way out of the long, embroidered curtains around my bed.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
