What does discombobulate mean? Definition of discombobulate
transitive verb. informal. : to cause to be in a state of confusion : upset, disorient ... inventing cool new ways to discombobulate the old order.—
What does discombobulate mean? Definition of discombobulate
transitive verb. informal. : to cause to be in a state of confusion : upset, disorient ... inventing cool new ways to discombobulate the old order.—
It’s a slang (originally American) word of unknown origin that goes back well over a century. Probably just a fanciful alliteration of discommode, discomfit, discompose, etc. It certainly doesn’t derive from some pre-existing word combobulate.
Recombobulate definition
(uncommon) To cause to think clearly again; to reorient; to put back into working order . (intransitive) To (come to) think clearly again; to reorient oneself; to get (oneself) back into working order.
(informal) Confused, embarrassed, upset .
discombobulated adjective – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com.
“Discombobulate” is one: English never had a word “combobulate” to which the negative prefix could be applied . Most dictionaries trace “discombobulate” to a variation of “discompose,” “discomfit,” or “discomfort,” all of which were formed by adding negative prefixes to existing words.
(humorous) To compose (one’s self); to compose, organize, design, or arrange; to reverse the effect of discombobulation . quotations ▼ After losing his train of thought, the teacher took a deep breath and attempted to combobulate himself.
adjectiveexhibiting mental discomfort, ill at ease. ashamed . bewildered . bugged . chagrined .
Discombobulate is a fun, fancy word for “confuse.” If something has put you in a state where you don’t know up from down and you can’t spell your own name, you may be discombobulated.
LF: “Bobulate.” Because discombobulate—meaning “to confuse”—is, stick with me here, bobulate plus “dis-” (meaning apart) plus “com-” (meaning together, so the opposite of apart). In other words, “bobulate” could itself mean either “to confuse” or, its opposite, “to clarify.” Confusing, right? (Or clarifying!
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is the longest word entered in the most trusted English dictionaries.
Discombobulate entered English in 1825 in the spelling discomboberated.
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is the longest word entered in the most trusted English dictionaries.
discombobulated adjective – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com.