disillusion

[ dis-i-loo-zhuhn ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to free from or deprive of illusion, belief, idealism, etc.; disenchant.

noun
  1. a freeing or a being freed from illusion or conviction; disenchantment.

Origin of disillusion

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; dis-1 + illusion

Other words for disillusion

Other words from disillusion

  • dis·il·lu·sion·ment, noun
  • dis·il·lu·sive [dis-i-loo-siv], /ˌdɪs ɪˈlu sɪv/, adjective
  • un·dis·il·lu·sioned, adjective

Words Nearby disillusion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use disillusion in a sentence

  • To lie thus in deadly weakness and drink in the traits of the beloved, is to re-awake to love from whatever shock of disillusion.

  • One can easily imagine the surprise and disillusion of the four pupils of Zimmermann—MM.

  • She did not disillusion him; to do so she would have had to tell him that she had lied.

    The Beach of Dreams | H. De Vere Stacpoole
  • In the millennium an educational genius will write a book to be given to every young man on the date of his disillusion.

    Flappers and Philosophers | F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • For some time the prisoners remained pale, motionless, and speechless, weighed down by this horrible disillusion.

    The Flying Horseman | Gustave Aimard

British Dictionary definitions for disillusion

disillusion

/ (ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒən) /


verb
  1. (tr) to destroy the ideals, illusions, or false ideas of

nounAlso: disillusionment
  1. the act of disillusioning or the state of being disillusioned

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012