French word

désenchanter

Pronunciation

IPA/dezɑ̃ʃɑ̃te/

Meaning

  • verbdisappoint

Example

Cette nouvelle m'a désenchanté.

This news disappointed me.

Illustration for désenchanter (disappoint)

More examples

Le film m'a désenchanté.

The movie disenchanted me.

Core concept

A spell falling away and revealing the plain flaws behind an idealized person or thing.

Similar words

décevoir: To disappoint someone by failing to meet their expectations.
désillusionner: To dispel someone's illusions and make them face reality.
se désenchanter: To become disillusioned when expectations or ideals are shattered.

Definition in French

Faire perdre à quelqu'un ses illusions sur quelque chose ou quelqu'un.

Word origin

Désenchanter combines the negative prefix dés- with enchanter, from Latin incantare through Old French, preserving the idea of removing an enchantment.

Usage tips

  • Désenchanter usually signals a loss of illusions, whereas décevoir can describe an ordinary single letdown.

Other meanings

  • disillusionverb

Opposites

Related words

  • désenchantementdisenchantmentnoun
  • désenchantédisenchantedadjective

Word lists with this word