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

All the energy and idealism in that disillusioned age were on the right, as those bright young men in their supply-side neckties came flooding into Washington promising national renewal. —Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

We’ve all been stretched, softened, disillusioned, and re-sensitized over the last few years. —Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 30 Dec. 2025

Could this recent spate of disillusioned mother narratives have anything to do with the United States government wreaking havoc on women’s reproductive rights? —Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 26 Dec. 2025

Bryant, the engine technician, feels a bit more disillusioned. —Makiya Seminera, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above