disillusioned

adjective

dis·​il·​lu·​sion·​ed ˌdis-ə-ˈlü-zhənd 

: having lost faith or trust in something formerly regarded as good or valuable

becoming more and more disillusioned with politics

Overworked, tired, disillusioned, with a shaky marriage, the district attorney finally gets a case that he really wants to prosecute.

—The New York Times Book Review

The camps grew restive and disillusioned, but refused to give up.

—Nora Levin

The disillusioned children of troubled marriages suffer from their parents' transgressions long into adulthood.

—Marianne Gingher

Examples of disillusioned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

O’Faolain grew disillusioned with the cause for Irish independence and became a teacher and editor, and had a stint as director of the Arts Council of Ireland. —René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026

And as Venezuela moves deeper into its post-Maduro transition, Rodríguez may increasingly find that her greatest political challenge no longer comes from the opposition, but from the revolution’s own disillusioned base. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026

Not so for the Alaskan wildlife biologist Caroline Van Hemert, who, disillusioned with laboratory life, attempted to regain her love for her field via a daring and physically demanding journey from coastal Washington to the Arctic. —Eva Holland, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026

Leiter said disillusioned voters won't necessarily cross party lines. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above