disillusion

1 of 2

noun

dis·​il·​lu·​sion ˌdis-ə-ˈlü-zhən 

: the condition of being disenchanted : the condition of being dissatisfied or defeated in expectation or hope

suffered romantic disillusions

disillusion

2 of 2

verb

disillusioned; disillusioning ˌdis-ə-ˈlü-zhə-niŋ 

transitive verb

: to free from illusion

also : to cause to lose naive faith and trust

The job disillusioned her about working in retail.

disillusionment

ˌdis-ə-ˈlü-zhən-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

Verb

• disabuse
• disenchant
• undeceive

Examples of disillusion in a Sentence

Verb

Working at that store for six months was enough to disillusion me about retail work.

we were disillusioned when we saw how the movie star acted in real life

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Then came President Kais Saied, an uncharismatic constitutional lawyer, who was elected in 2019 on a populist anti-corruption platform that played to Tunisians’ post-revolutionary disillusion with political gridlock and economic stagnation. —Ian Bremmer, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024

Their relationship lasted 414 days, brief enough for disillusion not to set in. —Roger Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2024

Verb

And disillusioned with the temporary model, industry players are more likely to lobby for permanent solutions like strengthening the Universal Service Fund, according to Sohn. —Lillian Rizzo, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2024

But that's done little to reassure the community of election workers and officials who have been left disillusioned by threats and harassment. —Laura Romero, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1855, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

disillusion

verb

dis·​il·​lu·​sion

ˌdis-ə-ˈlü-zhən

disillusioned; disillusioning

-ˈlüzh-(ə-)niŋ

: to free from mistaken beliefs or foolish hopes

a loss that disillusioned the fans

disillusionment

-ˈlü-zhən-mənt

noun