disaffect
UK: ˌdɪsəˈfɛkt | US: ˌdɪsəˈfɛkt
vt. to cause someone to lose loyalty or affection, especially toward a government or authority
disaffect = dis<away, opposite> + affect<influence>
- dis: A Latin prefix meaning "away," "opposite," or "not." Here, it negates or reverses the action of the root.
- affect: From Latin afficere (to influence), derived from ad- (to) + facere (to do). In English, it retains the sense of emotional or psychological influence.
Etymology Origin:
The word "disaffect" emerged in the early 17th century, combining "dis-" (indicating reversal) with "affect" (to influence emotionally). It originally described undermining loyalty, particularly in political contexts, reflecting its Latin roots in action (facere) and negation (dis-). The term captures the deliberate erosion of trust or attachment.
The corrupt policies began to disaffect even the most loyal supporters.
Propaganda was used to disaffect the population from the ruling party.
His harsh remarks disaffected many of his former allies.
Economic instability can disaffect citizens from their government.
The leader’s hypocrisy disaffected the youth movement.