adjective
disillusioned
dihs-ih-LOO-zhuhnd
adjective
1
No longer believing something was as good, true, or admirable as you once thought; disappointed after losing faith in someone or something.
"After the scandal, many voters felt disillusioned with the party they had once trusted."
"She grew disillusioned with the fashion industry once she saw how it really worked behind the scenes."
How to Use Disillusioned
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFeeling let down because reality turned out to be worse than what you believed or hoped.
Common mistake
It describes a state, not an action — you don't "disillusion" someone in casual speech nearly as often as you say they became disillusioned.
Common pairings
disillusioned with
grow disillusioned
increasingly disillusioned
Word Forms
more disillusioned comparative, most disillusioned superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “disillusioned”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
After the scandal, many voters felt _____ with the party they had once trusted.
Etymology
Built from disillusion (to free someone from a mistaken belief) plus the ending -ed, so it literally means "having had one's illusions removed."