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

World leaders must meet the challenge or risk fueling despair and disillusion. —Juan Manuel Santos, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025

Neptune is the planet of spiritual ideals, creativity, disillusion, and divinity. —Colin Bedell, Them, 14 Jan. 2025

Verb

Increasingly disillusioned with the organization, Cox began to plot his escape. —Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 1 Feb. 2025

Founded in 1966 by a Southern Californian Black Power activist named Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa was meant to be the bedrock of a new cultural nationalism that appealed to Black people increasingly disillusioned by the post-Civil Rights Movement world. —Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 27 Dec. 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