Basic Details
Word: Disillusioned
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Disappointed because someone or something turned out to be not as good as you believed.
Synonyms: disappointed, disenchanted, let down
Antonyms: enchanted, hopeful, idealistic
How to Spell Disillusioned
Syllables: dis - il - lu - sioned
Tricky part: Illusion has a double l and ends sion, and dis adds only one s: dis-il-lu-sioned. Students write disilusioned or dissillusioned.
Watch out for: disilusioned, dissillusioned, disillutioned
Memory tip: When a magic trick is explained, the illusion breaks and you are dis-illusioned; illusion keeps its double l.
Usage Examples
Example 1: He became disillusioned with the job when he saw how little he was learning.
Example 2: Many voters felt disillusioned after the promises were broken.
Example 3: She was disillusioned to find that her favourite author had copied the story.
Fun Fact
Illusion comes from the Latin illudere, to mock or play with, built on ludere, to play; a magician's illusion plays a trick on your eyes.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
dis_llu_ioned
a) e, s
b) i, t
c) i, z
d) i, s
Show answer
d) i, s. Illusion supplies both the i and the s.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to disillusioned as used in the sentence:
After two years of broken promises, the villagers were disillusioned with their local leaders.
a) hopeful
b) confused
c) delighted
d) disappointed
Show answer
d) disappointed. Disillusioned people feel let down, which is to be disappointed.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Many fans grew iilidedosnuls with the club after it sold its two best players.
a) disillusioned
b) delusional
c) disillusionment
d) dissolution
Show answer
a) disillusioned. Thirteen letters with two l's, two s's and no m or t give disillusioned.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone who is disillusioned has ____.
a) lost faith in something they once believed in
b) won a prize at a magic show last week
c) just woken up from a long, deep sleep
d) suddenly become very rich and famous
Show answer
a) lost faith in something they once believed in
2. Which of these would most likely leave a cricket fan disillusioned?
a) getting a bat signed by the captain
b) seeing his favourite batsman score a century
c) learning that a favourite player had fixed matches
d) watching his team win a close final
Show answer
c) learning that a favourite player had fixed matches
