disenchantment
/ˌdɪsɪnˈtʃɑːntmənt/
disenchantment means the act of disenchanting or the state of being disenchanted. It carries an Arena rating of 1508, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, disenchantment ranks #2,295 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #7,084 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #7,102 of 14,448 for Funniest Words.
disenchantment is pronounced /ˌdɪsɪnˈtʃɑːntmənt/.
Why “disenchantment” is a great word
Disenchantment is the state of being freed from a spell of illusion, describing the loss of belief in magic, romance, or transcendent meaning, and, sociologically, the cultural rationalization that strips the world of mystery. From the English prefix dis- (expressing reversal) + enchantment ("state of being under a spell"), it is a calque of the German Entzauberung ("de-magic-ing"), as used by sociologist Max Weber. Unlike disillusionment, which mourns a specific fallen ideal, or disappointment, which is a sadness at unmet hopes, disenchantment is the cooler, more comprehensive clearing of a mist. It is the streetlamp replacing the will-o'-the-wisp, the hospital corridor replacing the shrine, the spreadsheet replacing the almanac—modernity's systematic withdrawal of the sacred, leaving a world rendered intelligible, and thereby diminished, in a quiet sorrow of seeing things not as they were dreamed, but as they are.
Etymology
From dis- + enchantment. In the social sciences sense a calque of German Entzauberung, as used by sociologist Max Weber.
noun
- The act of disenchanting or the state of being disenchanted.
- Freeing from false belief or illusions.“Disenchantment with the religion led to a sharp fall in church attendance.”
- The devaluation of religion or mysticism apparent in modern society.“Blumenberg's thesis, which has since been reiterated by a number of philosophers and historians, is that nominalism, as it became widespread in Protestant theology, led to the Enlightenment, disenchantment, and the scientific revolution.”
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