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.
“I was disoriented at first. It’s hard to step out of that go-go mentality.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
Ms. Bohman condenses decades into this brief, potent book, jumping from Hanna’s disoriented youth to her success as a painter of dark mountain scenes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
The woman appears to have tried to lead the disoriented animal away from the shopping street.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
She was simply tired, sore and disoriented from the unfamiliar Olympic team competition format.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026
Within hours of her call to Crownsville, Deborah became disoriented and had trouble breathing.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
