disillusion

noun dis·il·lu·sion \ ˌdis-ə-ˈlü-zhən \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: disillusion in a Sentence

Definition of disillusion

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

suffered romantic disillusions

Recent Examples of disillusion from the Web

For some who supported Mr. Navalny, the outcome was a stark disillusion.

— neil macfarquhar, New York Times, "Putin Wins Russia Election, and Broad Mandate for Fourth Term," 18 Mar. 2018
Anyways, enough about Ayr United. MacLeod's monumental confidence was now being thrust upon the international scene, with the Scotland national team the, um, lucky beneficiaries of his disillusion.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 10 Weeks to Go - The Scotland Side That Promised World Domination...," 13 Apr. 2018
Reasons for disillusion include the slow pace of reconstruction and the lack of jobs.

— The Economist, "Fifteen years after America’s invasion, Iraq is getting back on its feet," 28 Mar. 2018
Lorenzo Totaro and Alessandra Migliaccio have been to the historic Tuscan strongholds of the Italian left with photographer Geraldine Hope Ghelli to learn about the disillusion among the traditional supporters of Renzi’s PD.

— gregory viscusi, Bloomberg.com, "Five Star’s Italian Rivals Pounce as Pay Pledge Backfires," 14 Feb. 2018
Darkness at Noon, published in 1940, is the lasting monument to his disillusion with Communism.

— douglas murray, National Review, "The Russian Revolution, 100 Years On: Its Enduring Allure and Menace," 30 Oct. 2017
During an interview with Bild, via Sky Sports, Rummenigge responded to comments from the Polish international which showed his disillusion with Bayern not competing in the transfer market for top players.

— SI.com, "Bayern Munich CEO Criticises Robert Lewandowski in Continuation of Public Spat," 12 Sep. 2017
The fictional evil schemings of Gilbert Osmond and Madame Merle were more intriguing and more credible to me than my all too familiar struggle, Isabel’s deep disillusion more tragic than my own.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Whistleblower in the Family," 8 Sep. 2017
In all its guises, the centre is falling victim to voters’ disillusion with a political class that has lost the idealism bestowed by the democratic transitions of the 1980s and now looks self-serving and out-of-touch.

— The Economist, "BelloThe appeal of Macronismo in Latin America," 7 Sep. 2017

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

First Known Use of disillusion

1591

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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disillusion

verb

Definition of disillusion

disillusioned; disillusioning play \-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.

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disillusionment

play \-ˈlü-zhən-mənt\ noun

See disillusion defined for English-language learners

See disillusion defined for kids

Examples of disillusion in a Sentence

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 of disillusion from the Web

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been left feeling disillusioned by the club's efforts to sign PSG star Neymar, according to Spanish news outlet AS.

— SI.com, "Cristiano Ronaldo Feeling Disillusioned at Real Madrid's Reported Attempts to Sign PSG Star Neymar," 5 June 2018
The result has left many Sanders supporters disillusioned, feeling that the group that was supposed to harness the senator’s grass-roots movement is failing in its mission.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Sanders Announces Reelection Bid as Negative Buzz Builds About Our Revolution," 22 May 2018
Nielsen, the biologist, said this spring that she was disillusioned with Murkowski.

— susan dominus, New York Times, "How Lisa Murkowski Mastered Trump’s Washington," 5 Apr. 2018
The fierce resistance the 76-year-old billionaire encountered from a local civic group against his plans to build a floating island off Manhattan’s Pier 55 left him exhausted and disillusioned.

— peter kiefer, The Hollywood Reporter, "Barry Diller on His Floating Island, Dream of Riding a Gondola to the Hollywood Sign and Peak TV," 16 Apr. 2018
Morella talks about Donald Trump, Paul Ryan and political tribalism — and what, if anything, can be done to fix the parts of Washington politics that leave so many Americans disgusted and disillusioned.

— dan rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Women in Congress: A former member and a candidate, Connie Morella and Allison Galbraith," 13 Apr. 2018
But Peruvians are rightly disillusioned with their politicians.

— The Economist, "Peru’s President Pedro Pablo the Brief," 28 Mar. 2018
Fans of Louisville who also have WKU ties could grow disillusioned with a struggling Cards program and hit Interstate 65 South more often for games if the Hilltoppers are winning.

— gentry estes, The Courier-Journal, "Five reasons Western Kentucky basketball is trending up in the coming years," 22 Mar. 2018
The Penan have been forced into settlements, Manser is dead, Palmieri disillusioned.

— National Geographic, "Two Men Set Out To Find Borneo’s Jungle Tribes. One Never Came Back.," 10 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of disillusion

1855

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

disillusion Synonyms

DISILLUSION Defined for English Language Learners

disillusion

verb

Definition of disillusion for English Language Learners

: to cause (someone) to stop believing that something is good, valuable, true, etc.

DISILLUSION Defined for Kids

disillusion

verb dis·il·lu·sion \ ˌdis-ə-ˈlü-zhən \

Definition of disillusion for Students

disillusioned; disillusioning

: to cause to stop having a mistaken belief that something is good, valuable, or true Let me disillusion you about the myth of George Washington's wooden teeth.

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