discombobulate
verb
dis·com·bob·u·late
ˌdis-kəm-ˈbä-b(y)ə-ˌlāt 
discombobulated; discombobulating; discombobulates
informal
: to cause to be in a state of confusion : upset, disorient
… inventing cool new ways to discombobulate the old order.—
Kurt Andersen
Kurt AndersenExecutives of other NHL clubs are hopping mad at St. Louis president Jack Quinn and general manager Ron Caron for once again discombobulating the NHL's salary structure.—Austin Murphy
Austin Murphy… his determination to discombobulate the bourgeoise was not regarded as a joke.—George Levine
see also discombobulated
George Levine
discombobulating
adjective
If it has been an unsettling season for all NFL players, it has been absolutely discombobulating for the Raiders …
—Ron Fimrite
Ron Fimrite
Penn sent a discombobulating array of material to incoming freshmen over the summer.
—Ben Adler
Ben Adler
discombobulation
noun
A winding drive through the rural areas, twisting and turning to the point of discombobulation, until, emerging around a final left turn, a clearing presents itself.
—Micah Redfield
Micah Redfield
Examples of discombobulate in a Sentence
our grandmother seems a bit discombobulated by all of this birthday fuss
Recent Examples on the Web
As disparate and discombobulating as each of these elements seem, they were tied together by the show’s enduring theme, the city of Los Angeles, which was then used to provide a subset of themes for each subsequent episode.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2025
Her flashbacks present throughout the film as these trippy visions with a discombobulating first-person POV.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
The full story is very rarely told from one angle, but the sight of Kelly warming the bench this season has been discombobulating.
—Megan Feringa, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
The Vancouver Canucks opened the game discombobulated, fell behind early and lost Thatcher Demko to a second-period injury — an apparent left leg injury, which is concerning given his recent injury history.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
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Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2025
Her flashbacks present throughout the film as these trippy visions with a discombobulating first-person POV.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
The full story is very rarely told from one angle, but the sight of Kelly warming the bench this season has been discombobulating.
—Megan Feringa, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
The Vancouver Canucks opened the game discombobulated, fell behind early and lost Thatcher Demko to a second-period injury — an apparent left leg injury, which is concerning given his recent injury history.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for discombobulate
Cite this Entry
“Discombobulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discombobulate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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discombobulate
verb
dis·com·bob·u·late
ˌdis-kəm-ˈbäb-yə-ˌlāt
-ə-
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