disillusion

[dis-i-loo-zhuhn]

verb (used with object)

1. to free from or deprive of illusion, belief, idealism, etc.; disenchant.

   Synonyms: disappoint, undeceive, disenthrall, disabuse

noun

1. a freeing or a being freed from illusion or conviction; disenchantment.

disillusion

/ ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒən /

verb

1. (tr) to destroy the ideals, illusions, or false ideas of

noun

1. the act of disillusioning or the state of being disillusioned

Other Word Forms

• disillusionment noun
• disillusive adjective
• undisillusioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disillusion¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; dis- ¹ + illusion

Example Sentences

But over time, I became disillusioned with the fees, the taxes, the complexity, the concentration.

Read more on Barron's

Bari Weiss launched the Free Press after growing disillusioned with what she described as a narrow orthodoxy at the New York Times.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But their political star is rising again, and could attract voters disillusioned with both the government and the populist or extremist opposition.

Read more on BBC

However, he became disillusioned when his friend became more and more tyrannical, and after a misunderstanding shoots and kills the Hatter.

Read more on Salon

It answers Riefenstahl’s carefully chosen narrative, a fable of disillusioned purity, with an equally forensic counternarrative exposing her childlike narcissism about the impact of her talent.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disappoint 
• embitter