disillusion
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disillusions,
present (3rd person singular)
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disillusioned,
past participle, past
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disillusioning
present participle
noun
-
disillusions
plural
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disillusionsimple
-
disillusionssimple
-
have disillusionedperfect
-
has disillusionedperfect
-
am disillusioningprogressive
-
are disillusioningprogressive
-
is disillusioningprogressive
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have been disillusioningperfect progressive
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has been disillusioningperfect progressive
Past
-
disillusionedsimple
-
had disillusionedperfect
-
was disillusioningprogressive
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were disillusioningprogressive
-
had been disillusioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disillusion
Explanation
To disillusion is to make someone realize their belief isn't true. If your cousin believes that the Tooth Fairy will come in the night, take her tooth and sprinkle her with fairy dust. It would be too cruel to disillusion her. When you disillusion someone, you take away a false belief, or an illusion. Your parents' divorce might disillusion your romantic ideas of marriage, and a political candidate you supported enthusiastically could disillusion if she doesn't follow through on her promises. The disappointment you feel as a result of being disillusioned is also called disillusion, like the disillusion that results when your older sister tells you the truth about the Easter Bunny.
Vocabulary lists containing disillusion
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Toni Morrison (1931–2019) Tribute List
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Lewis and Tolkien were disgusted by this atmosphere of disillusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
Accepting the possibility of disillusion as part of existence allows Amélie to endure sorrow and bask in moments of elation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
In stark contrast with the album’s bombastic, top-10 title track, the early version of “Born in the USA” featured on “Nebraska ’82” oozes with the pain, heartbreak and disillusion inherent in the song’s lyrics.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2025
Put them all together and there is a disillusion and a widespread sense among farmers of not being listened to.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2024
Constance grunted in agreement, not wishing to disillusion her trusting old friend.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Coaches across the City said that the lack of care is another sign of a lack of support that disillusions prospective parents, which leads to enrollment somewhere else.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
One key strength of this exhibition, curated by Elizabeth Cleland and Adam Eaker, is that it disillusions Tudor hagiography without making them seem uniquely brutal or awful.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2022
“What if that disillusions a lot of really bright, passionate, smart people from the industry?”
From New York Times ● Aug. 23, 2021
The rise of the “Beast-Elect” so disillusions her that she quits her job and breaks for the California badlands, where her friend’s teen-age daughter, Arabella, has gone missing.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 13, 2018
It is possible that I was mistaken and I do not willfully invite any disillusions at this point in my life.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
Despite rapidly rising through the ranks of London finance, Anderson said he became disillusioned by "greed, reckless risk-taking and rule breaking in the industry".
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
It is unlikely the club will just simply roll over and let disillusioned players depart without suitable offers because, ultimately, they can ride the storm financially.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Meet the men who still love Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency’s power has declined, but it still holds a powerful allure to some people disillusioned with America’s economic system.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
As the area struggles, Murillo, a college graduate who years ago felt motivated enough to door-knock for political causes, is among those who have become disillusioned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Above a spacious fireplace an oil portrait of the Founder looked down at me remotely, benign, sad, and in that hot instant, profoundly disillusioned.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
She added it was "disillusioning and disappointing that South Wales Police and the CPS demonstrated a lack of understanding" to what she said were the "unique stresses" of transitioning.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2025
She found the district’s attempt to do that this summer at the “well-resourced schools” meetings disillusioning.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
The exhibition is as disillusioning about any reflexive association of the Renaissance with pervasive humanism as it is about the Tudors themselves.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2022
The disillusioning experience of working for a legacy institution led her to create her own opportunities.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2022
In light of the bold and defiant line we had taken all along, an appeal would seem anticli- mactic and even disillusioning.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
