disaffect means to cause a loss of affection, sympathy or loyalty in; to alienate or estrange.
disaffect is pronounced /dɪsəˈfɛkt/.
Why “disaffect” is a great word
To alienate someone, particularly from a group, authority, or cause to which they owe allegiance. From the English prefix dis- (expressing reversal or removal) + affect (in the sense of 'to have affection for'), first attested in the 1620s. Unlike “estrange,” which implies a permanent fracture in intimate bonds, or “alienate,” a broader term for fostering hostility, disaffect is the specific, corrosive act of turning loyalty into sullen dissent. It is the soldier who no longer believes in the war, the citizen for whom the constitution has become a hollow shell, the worker who continues to show up but has stopped believing in the mission—the quiet withdrawal of faith from structures that still stand, emptied of meaning.
Etymology
From dis- + affect.
verb
- To cause a loss of affection, sympathy or loyalty in; to alienate or estrange.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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