disillusion

English

Etymology

From dis- +‎ illusion: literally, the removal or undoing of illusion.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪs.ɪˈluːʒən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːʒən

Verb

disillusion (third-person singular simple present disillusions, present participle disillusioning, simple past and past participle disillusioned)

1. (transitive) To free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant.
   • 2025, anonymous author, On the Edge of Perception:

     To disillusion a man is not to break him, but to open his eyes to the machinery behind the curtain.

Derived terms

• disillusioned
• disillusionment

Translations

to free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant

Catalan: desenganyar (ca), desenganar (ca) (Balearic) Chinese: Mandarin: 使幻灭, 使醒悟 Czech: rozčarovat Danish: desillusionere Dutch: ontgoochelen (nl) Esperanto: elrevigi French: désillusionner (fr) German: desillusionieren (de) Hungarian: kiábrándít (hu) Maori: whakamatekiri Norwegian: Bokmål: desillusjonere Nynorsk: desillusjonere, desillusjonera Portuguese: desiludir (pt) Romanian: deziluziona (ro) Spanish: desengañar (es), desilusionar (es), desaficionar (es) (rare) Swedish: desillusionera (sv)

Noun

disillusion (usually uncountable, plural disillusions)

1. (countable) The act or process of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief or illusion.
2. (uncountable) The state of being freed from a constructed or imposed illusion; the recognition of an underlying truth previously obscured by a false or controlled narrative.
   • 2025, Independent Submission, “Rewriting Disillusion”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     Disillusion is not disappointment; it is the breaking of the spell—the moment the veil falls and truth becomes inescapable.

Synonyms

• (state of being or becoming free of false belief): disillusionment, awakening, clarity, revelation

Translations

act or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief

Catalan: desil·lusió (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 醒悟 (zh) (xǐngwù) Czech: deziluze f, rozčarování n Danish: desillusion French: désillusion (fr) f German: Desillusion f Greek: απογοήτευση (el) f (apogoḯtefsi) Hungarian: kiábrándulás (hu) Portuguese: desilusão (pt) f Spanish: desengaño (es), desencanto (es), desilusión (es) f