disillusionment
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of disillusionment
Explanation
Feeling disillusionment means you're bummed out because you no longer believe in something — usually because you find out it isn't as amazing as you thought. The definition of disillusionment doesn't sound so bad: being freed from false beliefs or illusions. Well, sorry to disillusion you, but it's not so great. Disillusionment is when the hard truth of reality makes you lose faith in your dreams and ideals. Like you might have thought your internship at the movie studio would be super glamorous, but you quickly suffered some disillusionment when you realized it involved 14-hour days and lots of coffee runs.
Vocabulary lists containing disillusionment
Siddhartha
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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"Marionettes, Inc." by Ray Bradbury
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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.
As the euphoria fades and reality starts, emotions can turn to disillusionment.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
But the experiences of people like Yuner Jiang, who is preparing to finish graduate school at Columbia University in New York, show that Chinese disillusionment with the U.S. is real.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
Here, the drama is in Glinda’s disillusionment as she realizes she’s become the pretty face of fascism.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
I left that and struggled for years with the standard outcomes of intense combat service mixed with a total disillusionment and cynicism around the wars that I fought in.
From Slate • Mar. 4, 2026
As the summer of 1904 faded away, disillusionment sat heavy over Packingtown and the Black Belt.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
