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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Even the left has grown disillusioned with such gestures’ meaning.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
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And then, as a new century began, heartbroken by personal losses and disillusioned by the corporatization of the indie scene, Auf der Maur would walk away from it all.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Murray Rothbard, a libertarian economist who advised Buchanan, had articulated a similar imperative.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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The city posted a warning on the door advising people not to enter the building due to safety concerns.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bill Brown, Paragon Star’s chief operating officer, said at the time of the event, his group had been told the project was just a couple of weeks from being finished.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
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During the chase, an officer told Toledo to show his hands.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 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 6 Apr. 2026.
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