disillusion

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

|Updated on: 9 Aug 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

Registers of loss and disillusion are blended, from the individual to the national and back again.

— dustin illingworth, latimes.com, "Elusive leaps of grace and daring: Rachel Cusk's 'Kudos'," 31 May 2018
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

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

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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

Princess Tsianina’s own story, in fact, was the inspiration for the opera, in which the heroine, disillusioned by urban life and caught in a romantic triangle, returns to the values of her tribal society.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "Before ‘Hamilton,’ 100 years of American music theater and how it’s told the story of who we are," 29 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.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Hillary Clinton warns of ‘a full-fledged crisis in our democracy’ at Yale," 21 May 2018
Since then, many Mexicans have felt disillusioned by a democratic experiment marked by weak economic growth, corruption and a homicide rate has roughly tripled from 2000 to now.

— robbie whelan, WSJ, "Win by López Obrador Pushes Mexico Sharply to Left," 2 July 2018
The Change movement has struggled to implement their reform agenda in the face of the KDP-PUK power domination over the years, leaving some supporters disillusioned.

— christine mccaffray van den toorn, Washington Post, "Was Iraq’s recent election a democratic success? Depends whom you ask.," 23 May 2018
One Saudi activist who previously supported the Crown Prince's ambitious reform agenda said he has felt disillusioned by him in recent weeks, canceling plans to return to the kingdom.

— tamara qiblawi, CNN, "Women's arrests cast doubt on Saudi Crown Prince's reforms," 26 May 2018
Spanish outlet Don Balon claim that Tottenham's star striker has been disillusioned by Real Madrid's failure to make good of their longstanding interest, leading him to grow 'tired' of waiting for a bid to be submitted.

— SI.com, "Spanish Report Claims Harry Kane Has Rejected Real Madrid in Fear of Being Overshadowed By Ronaldo," 12 Apr. 2018
President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem generated widespread anger among Palestinians, many of whom were already disillusioned with the Oslo peace process.

— imad alsoos, Washington Post, "Why Hamas is protesting in Gaza — and why it will continue," 8 Apr. 2018
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

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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