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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This was, after all, the woman who had advised me not to hold her hand on the way to fifth grade because doing so would only increase my social isolation.—
Lena Dunham,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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A week after the crash, police are advising anyone drinking to either call a friend or use a rideshare to get home safely.—
Heath Kalb,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of them told Felder that the precinct had received a complaint about a trespasser at the synagogue.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Minnesota victim wants accountability After she was injured, Stotko told the city council in her community of Hastings, Minnesota, about her crash to push for a stricter ordinance.—
Sarah Raza,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 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 3 Apr. 2026.
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