as in to undeceive
to free from mistaken beliefs or foolish hopes
let me disabuse you of your foolish notions
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Recent Examples of disabuse
Against a barely upright Niners roster (especially wounded in the passing game), Sean McVay’s squad should sweep the leg and disabuse anyone of the notion San Francisco is a contender.
—
J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Pre-positioning munitions, as well as stockpiles of energy, medical, and food supplies, also could help disabuse Chinese leaders of the notion that Taiwan can be taken quickly and cheaply.
—Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
By a similar token, that stark visual language — complicated by Zhao’s stately framing and related inclination toward surveillance-like interior shots that suggest the presence of a ghost looking down — helps to disabuse the drama of any potential staginess.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
And the refusal to be disabused by data suggests a deep instinct that vaccination in general is just too unnatural to be trusted — a very human impulse, clearly, but not one that can guide public health.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disabuse
J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Pre-positioning munitions, as well as stockpiles of energy, medical, and food supplies, also could help disabuse Chinese leaders of the notion that Taiwan can be taken quickly and cheaply.
—Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
By a similar token, that stark visual language — complicated by Zhao’s stately framing and related inclination toward surveillance-like interior shots that suggest the presence of a ghost looking down — helps to disabuse the drama of any potential staginess.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
And the refusal to be disabused by data suggests a deep instinct that vaccination in general is just too unnatural to be trusted — a very human impulse, clearly, but not one that can guide public health.
—Ross Douthat, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disabuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disabuse
Verb
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Fans disillusioned with the club’s shocking decline over the past three years have called for the board to be sacked, but at present there is hardly a board to sack.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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The grueling K-pop machine Ironically, the movie that made Ejae a star is an ode to the Korean pop music machine that disillusioned her all those years ago.—
Allison Cho,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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MyPlate advised sticking to low-fat dairy, as seen in the low-fat yogurt and the glass of low-fat milk with dinner.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Be advised, though, that many of Carrizo Plain’s roads are dirt and become all but impassable in wet weather.—
Cu Fleshman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The singer then materialized and handed the boy one of his Grammys and told him always to believe in himself.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Crashes, luge athletes will tell you, are part of the game, a necessary teaching tool that helps young lugers learn how to navigate sliding on their back down an icy course, sometimes faster than 90 miles per hour.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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American workers are disenchanted, depressed and frustrated.—
Chris Tomlinson,
Houston Chronicle,
5 Feb. 2026
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For more than 15 years, independents have made up the largest group of voters, as Americans have grown increasingly disenchanted with the two-party system.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disabuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disabuse. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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