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discombobulate
/ ˌɪəˈɒʊˌɪ /
verb
- informal.tr to throw into confusion
Other Word Forms
- 徱·dz·Dz···پDz [dis-k, uh, m-bob-y, uh, -, ley, -sh, uh, n], noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of discombobulate1
Word History and Origins
Origin of discombobulate1
Example Sentences
That is far from a lonely ignorance, but no less discombobulating.
This time, chart-topping albums and touring aren’t the discombobulating affair they were nearly 30 years ago, when their second album, “Dude Ranch,” went gold.
In the words of my late mother, I am discombobulated.
Tariff tumult has discombobulated them only because they didn’t take Trump seriously when he fantasized at campaign rally after rally about “tariffing” the heck out of foreign imports.
I have added “discombobulated” to that ongoing list and type of guide to the long Trumpocene.
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Related Words
More About Discombobulate
Where does discombobulate come from?
Discombobulate, meaning “to confuse, frustrate,” sounds like something straight out of a cartoon. It was first recorded in the form discomboberate in the early 1800s, and apparently originated as a humorous imitation of hifalutin-sounding Latin words. We can also detect the influence of words with similar senses like discomfit or discompose in it.
Many more amusing Americanisms await in our slideshow “These Wacky Words Originated In The USA.”
Did you know … ?
Discombobulate has some shorter (but arguably less-fun-to-say) synonyms in , , and .
Straighten all this discombobulation out with more synonyms on Thesaurus.com. Try the word , for starters.
Discombobulate also has some notable pop culture connections. The score of the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes features a track entitled “Discombobulate,” composed by Hans Zimmer. That title takes its name from a line spoken by the title character during a memorable boxing match, which spawned a meme known as Discombobulate.
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