as in disabusing
to free from mistaken beliefs or foolish hopes
we were disillusioned when we saw how the movie star acted in real life
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Recent Examples of disillusioning
And what seemed most probably was a blip ultimately dominoed into the disillusioning 2025 season that will come to a merciful end on Sunday in Las Vegas.
—
Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
Italy’s established political parties failed to respond effectively to the crisis, disillusioning voters.
—Erik Jones, Foreign Affairs, 21 Sep. 2022
Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
Italy’s established political parties failed to respond effectively to the crisis, disillusioning voters.
—Erik Jones, Foreign Affairs, 21 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disillusioning
Verb
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This is also why disabusing new believers of such opinions can feel like plucking shell fragments from a cooking omelet.—
Emil Steiner,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The pastor approaches the line without fully disenchanting; a magician drawing attention to the trick without disowning its power.—
Sam Kestenbaum,
Vulture,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Chinese government reacted by telling Chinese citizens not to travel to Japan, threatening economic retaliation, and pulling the plug on meetings that were long planned, putting a pretty deep freeze on China-Japan relations.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
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After initially telling students and staff to stay indoors, Arlington ISD is now saying that folks are safe to go outside.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Over the past decade, screening guidelines have swung from recommending routine screening to advising against it to landing somewhere in between, and major organizations still don’t all say it the same way.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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In August 2024, the Connecticut State Board of Education unanimously passed guidance advising districts to remove or restrict cellphones from K-12 classrooms.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disillusioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disillusioning. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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