1
Core action
Free someone from a mistaken ideal, belief, or favourable impression, often causing disappointment.
Example
The audit disillusioned supporters who had trusted the charity.
disillusion
/ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒən/ · dis-ih-LOO-zhunverb
Free someone from a mistaken ideal, belief, or favourable impression, often causing disappointment.
Use disillusion to express this relationship precisely: free someone from a mistaken ideal, belief, or favourable impression, often causing disappointment.
What disillusion Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common construction
Use this expression in its normal grammatical frame so the relationship between the surrounding ideas remains explicit.
Example
Experience soon disillusioned him about effortless success.
3
Reasoning effect
It tells the reader how to interpret the timing, scope, evidence, contrast, condition, or consequence in the statement.
Example
The memoir seeks to inform, not merely to disillusion.
Use disillusion Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The audit disillusioned supporters who had trusted the charity.
Experience soon disillusioned him about effortless success.
The memoir seeks to inform, not merely to disillusion.
Precision Matters
Disillusion overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
disillusion
vs.Means free someone from a mistaken ideal, belief, or favourable impression, often causing disappointment.
venerate
Means regard or treat someone or something with profound respect, reverence, or devotion.
disillusion
vs.Means free someone from a mistaken ideal, belief, or favourable impression, often causing disappointment.
popularize
Means make an idea, subject, activity, or product widely known, understood, or liked.
disillusion
vs.Means free someone from a mistaken ideal, belief, or favourable impression, often causing disappointment.
bewilder
Means confuse or puzzle someone completely, making understanding or decision difficult.
disillusion
vs.Means free someone from a mistaken ideal, belief, or favourable impression, often causing disappointment.
debunk
Means expose or prove a belief, claim, theory, or story to be false or exaggerated.
Test disillusion in Context
The evidence destroys their favourable but false belief.
1
Evidence of corruption began to ___ citizens who had regarded the leader as incorruptible.