disillusioned
Britishadjective
Explanation
People who are disillusioned have lost their illusions. This is usually meant in a negative way, as disillusioned people tend to be a little bitter. When you're disillusioned, you're wiser but not necessarily happier: you've learned from experience that life isn't always how you'd like it to be. Getting divorced could leave you disillusioned about marriage and love. Finding out a teacher cheated could leave you disillusioned about education. We all are disillusioned at some point, and it's usually a bit depressing. Often, ignorance really is bliss.
Vocabulary lists containing disillusioned
Power Prefix: dis-
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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.
Lois Roberts and Aron Llwyd, both 29, grew up in Cardiff but craved a "different challenge" after becoming disillusioned with city life.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Striker Michael Owen had also come through the academy but - like Gerrard - had become disillusioned with life at Anfield.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Hilton ultimately became disillusioned with Westminster, deciding U.K. politics was stymied by excessive bureaucracy.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
The new company hired away talent who had grown disillusioned at other companies, and has struck a position far more supportive of government regulation than other leading AI firms.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
I followed Narciso mechanically, weak and disillusioned I tramped after him into the dark twilight of the storm.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
