disabuse

verb

dis·​abuse ˌdis-ə-ˈbyüz 

disabused; disabusing; disabuses

transitive verb

: to free from error, misconception, or fallacy (see fallacy sense 1a)

was quickly disabused of the idea that anything had changed

Did you know?

Taken as a product of its parts, one might assume that disabuse means “to not abuse.” While the usage has changed over the years, that assumption isn’t entirely wrong. We know the verb abuse as a word with various meanings having to do with bad physical or verbal treatment, as well as incorrect or excessive use, but when disabuse first appeared in the 17th century, there was a sense of abuse, now obsolete, that meant “to deceive.” Francis Bacon used that meaning, for example, when he wrote in 1605, “You are much abused if you think your virtue can withstand the King’s power.” The prefix dis- has the sense of undoing the effect of a verb, so it’s logical that disabuse means “to undeceive.” English speakers didn’t come up with the idea of joining dis- to abuse all on their own, however. It was the French who first appended their prefix dés- to their verb abuser; our disabuse is modeled after the French word désabuser.

Synonyms

• disenchant
• disillusion
• undeceive

Examples of disabuse in a Sentence

let me disabuse you of your foolish notions

Recent Examples on the Web

But then a mother’s screams would pierce the air and disabuse me of the thought. —Ahmed Abu Artema, TIME, 12 Oct. 2024

Even the principal, Grant Moretti (Enrico Colantoni, whose rapport with Alvarez is a highlight of the series), tries to disabuse our hero of his high-mindedness. —Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2024

Washington and its partners must also disabuse Beijing of any suspicion that the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is weakening. —Ryan Hass, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2023

At a panini spot in Old Towne Orange, Daniels quickly disabused me of my low-key transphobia. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

French désabuser, from dés- dis- + abuser to abuse

First Known Use

1669, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

disabuse

verb

dis·​abuse ˌdis-ə-ˈbyüz 

: to free from mistakes or false beliefs

disabuse us of our errors