disaffect

verb dis·af·fect \ ˌdis-ə-ˈfekt \

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

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Examples: disaffect in a Sentence

Definition of disaffect

transitive verb

: to alienate the affection or loyalty of; also : to fill with discontent and unrest

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disaffection

play \-ˈfek-shən\ noun

See disaffect defined for kids

Examples of disaffect in a Sentence

the troops were disaffected by the extension of their tours of duty

Recent Examples of disaffect from the Web

In their run to the last four, England re-engaged with a fanbase disaffected by decades of failure at international tournaments, most notably in a humiliating exit to Iceland at Euro 2016.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Kane: 'there's a great future' for England after World Cup run," 12 July 2018
Many militants are disaffected by poverty and unemployment, and some have reportedly traveled to regional countries, including Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia, for religious or military training, according to a study released last month in Maputo.

— Washington Post, "Extremist attacks rise in energy-rich province in Mozambique," 11 June 2018
And for the seasonally disaffected among us, that glorious big bang can’t come soon enough.

— kathryn shattuck, New York Times, "Where Spring Is in Full Bloom," 5 Apr. 2018
Bryn Mawr has been picking up clients disaffected by larger banks.

— joseph n. distefano, Philly.com, "Citizens and rival Philly banks seeing slow loan growth but say 2018 will get better," 20 Apr. 2018
Simon’s been disaffected with Negan’s leadership for a while now.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Future shock: Sunday's 'Walking Dead' finally hints at a bigger purpose," 19 Mar. 2018
The two soon gravitated to Club 57 where Ms. Magnuson and a crew of kindredly disaffected School of Visual Arts graduates were already holding court.

— brett sokol, New York Times, "Club 57, Late-Night Home of Basquiat and Haring, Gets a Museum-Worthy Revival," 26 Oct. 2017
There’s nostalgia there in part because so many people have been disaffected by the [Sirleaf] regime.

— ryan lenora brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "Liberia's election closes chapter of history – but for voters, past is present," 10 Oct. 2017
If the Democrats were to nominate a leftist in the mold of Bernie Sanders, Kasich and Hickenlooper would create a party for affluent people disaffected by Trump’s demagoguery but scared of Sanders’s socialism.

— alex shephard, New Republic, "Will the Fantasy of a Unity Ticket Just Die Already?," 2 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disaffect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of disaffect

1641

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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disaffect Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of disaffect

estrange, alienate, disaffect mean to cause one to break a bond of affection or loyalty. estrange implies the development of indifference or hostility with consequent separation or divorcement.

- his estranged wife

alienate may or may not suggest separation but always implies loss of affection or interest.

- managed to alienate all his coworkers

disaffect refers especially to those from whom loyalty is expected and stresses the effects (such as rebellion or discontent) of alienation without actual separation.