Meanings
present singular third person disillusions · participle present disillusioning · participle past disillusioned · past disillusioned
- transitiveTo free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant.
To disillusion a man is not to break him, but to open his eyes to the machinery behind the curtain.
2025, anonymous author, On the Edge of Perception
plural disillusions
- countableusuallyThe act or process of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief or illusion.
- uncountableusuallyThe state of being freed from a constructed or imposed illusion; the recognition of an underlying truth previously obscured by a false or controlled narrative.
Disillusion is not disappointment; it is the breaking of the spell—the moment the veil falls and truth becomes inescapable.
2025, Independent Submission, “Rewriting Disillusion”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)Synonyms: disillusionment, awakening, clarity, revelation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state of being freed from a constructed or imposed illusion; the recognition of an underlying truth previously obscured by a false or controlled narrative.
More synonyms by meaning
nounfreeing from false belief or illusions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From dis- + illusion: literally, the removal or undoing of illusion.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan desenganyar, desenganar
- desenganyarto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- desenganarto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- desil·lusióact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Chinese Mandarin 使幻灭, 使醒悟
- 使幻灭to free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- 使醒悟to free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- 醒悟 (xǐngwù)act or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Czech rozčarovat, deziluze
- rozčarovatto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- deziluzeact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
- rozčarováníact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Danish desillusionere, desillusion
- desillusionereto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- desillusionact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Dutch ontgoochelen
- ontgoochelento free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
Esperanto elrevigi
- elrevigito free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
French désillusionner, désillusion
- désillusionnerto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- désillusionact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
German desillusionieren, Desillusion
- desillusionierento free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- Desillusionact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Greek απογοήτευση
- απογοήτευση (apogoḯtefsi)act or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Hungarian kiábrándít, kiábrándulás
- kiábrándítto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- kiábrándulásact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Māori whakamatekiri
- whakamatekirito free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
Norwegian Bokmål desillusjonere
- desillusjonereto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
Portuguese desiludir, desilusão
- desiludirto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- desilusãoact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Romanian deziluziona
- deziluzionato free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
Spanish desengañar, desilusionar
- desengañarto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- desilusionarto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- desaficionarto free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
- desengañoact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
- desilusiónact or state of disenchanting or freeing from a false belief
Swedish desillusionera
- desillusionerato free or deprive of illusion; to disenchant
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with disillusion
Cite this entry
disillusion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disillusion
“disillusion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disillusion. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disillusion,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disillusion.
Source: disillusion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.