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disillusion

[ dis-i-loo-zhuhn ]

/ ˌdɪs ɪˈlu ʒən /

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See synonyms for: disillusion / disillusioned / disillusioning / disillusionment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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

noun

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

OTHER WORDS FOR disillusion

1 disabuse, disenthrall, undeceive, disappoint.

See synonyms for disillusion on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR DISILLUSION

What Makes You Feel Disillusioned?

"Disillusion," or "disillusionment," is that feeling you get when you realize that everything isn’t rainbows and butterflies—that things aren’t as great as you imagined they were or hoped them to be.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of disillusion

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

OTHER WORDS FROM disillusion

dis·il·lu·sion·ment, noundis·il·lu·sive

[dis-i-loo-siv], /ˌdɪs ɪˈlu sɪv/, adjectiveun·dis·il·lu·sioned, adjective

Words nearby disillusion

dishwasher, dishwasherproof, dishwashing, dishwater, dishy, disillusion, disillusioned, disillusionize, disillusionment, disimpassioned, disimprison

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use disillusion in a sentence

The title of The Year of Magical Thinking comes from Didion’s experiences reckoning with the finality of death, and the disillusion that exists in its aftermath.
Joan Didion Wrote About Grief Like No One Else Could|Annabel Gutterman|December 23, 2021|Time
The Warren Report was and remains a symptom of disillusion with whatever the government says.
Shanin Specter on His 50 Years With the Single Bullet Theory|Shanin Specter|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The downstairs portion of the Democratic base is increasingly beset by debt and disillusion.
The GOP’s Backdoor Impeachment Scheme|Lloyd Green|October 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The sloping baseline indicates melancholy, disillusion, and loss of innocence.
Analyzing Michael Jackson's Handwriting|Arlyn Imberman|July 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST

Disappointment if not disillusion is inevitable, particularly in light of the current economic meltdown.
Why the World Will Be Disappointed by President Obama|William Shawcross|November 1, 2008|DAILY BEAST
To lie thus in deadly weakness and drink in the traits of the beloved, is to re-awake to love from whatever shock of disillusion.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI|Robert Louis Stevenson
One can easily imagine the surprise and disillusion of the four pupils of Zimmermann—MM.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
She did not disillusion him; to do so she would have had to tell him that she had lied.
The Beach of Dreams|H. De Vere Stacpoole
In the millennium an educational genius will write a book to be given to every young man on the date of his disillusion.
Flappers and Philosophers|F. Scott Fitzgerald
For some time the prisoners remained pale, motionless, and speechless, weighed down by this horrible disillusion.
The Flying Horseman|Gustave Aimard

British Dictionary definitions for disillusion

disillusion

/ (ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒən) /

verb

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

noun Also: disillusionment

the act of disillusioning or the state of being disillusioned

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012