disenthrall means to free from slavery or captivation (thraldom). It carries an Arena rating of 1921, earned across 51 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, disenthrall ranks #648 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #1,355 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,357 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,897 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
Why “disenthrall” is a great word
To release from bondage, servitude, or a state of mental captivation. From the prefix dis- ("undoing, reversal") + enthrall (from Middle English *thral*, "serf, slave," from Old English *thræl*, "slave"), thus literally "to un-enslave." First recorded in English use 1635–45. Unlike "disenchant," which implies the sobering end of an illusion, or "emancipate," which operates in the formal register of legal manumission, "disenthrall" denotes a more fundamental rupture from any enslaving influence. It is the heavy chain snapping in a sudden rush of lightness, the slow dawning that the prison door was never locked, and the final, conscious refusal to recite the old, imposed litany—the quiet, terrifying moment one becomes responsible for one's own freedom.
Etymology
From dis- + enthrall.
verb
- To free from slavery or captivation (thraldom).
- To disenchant; to break (someone) from a spell of (mental) captivation.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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