Desencantado (Spanish/Portuguese) describes a state of disillusionment, disenchantment, or disappointment. It signifies the loss of a previously held belief in something magical, ideal, or promising, leading to a feeling of letdown or a loss of enthusiasm. It often arises from the realization that reality doesn't align with expectations, whether in personal relationships, societal structures, or abstract concepts. It’s a nuanced term, expressing a sense of having been stripped of an illusion, leaving behind a feeling of neutrality, cynicism, or even a quiet sadness, with the hope and enthusiasm removed. The experience might occur in the form of understanding a lack of importance in any situation, leading to a change in how we perceive it.
Desencantado meaning with examples
- After years of struggling to make a living as an artist, and witnessing continued disappointment, the painter was desencantado, abandoning his dreams of fame and wealth, and now seeks only a comfortable and quiet life. He had lost the magic in his art, and the belief in its rewards. His experience had extinguished his passion.
- The young idealist, originally enthralled by the political process, became desencantado when he witnessed the corruption and compromises within his party. The promises of equality and justice, now seen as hollow, caused his early enthusiasm to crumble. He now questioned the motives of the leaders.
- Having experienced heartbreak and failed relationships, the poet grew desencantado with the idea of romantic love. He abandoned the writing of love poems and, instead, wrote pessimistic observations on human frailty. The rose-tinted glasses of his youth, which had created such great expectations, had shattered.
- The constant exposure to environmental problems made the activist increasingly desencantado. The slow pace of change and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles led to a feeling of despair, yet he persisted with the task, though with less hope that there would be success. He felt that the world was beyond saving.