Engaño desengaño

[poli]

I am confused about the meaning of the terms. Engaño means deception in English. To me desengaño would imply wisening up, which, in English implies something positive. Dictionary definitions state desengaño means disillusion, which implies something negative.

Is desengaño a negative term? RAE states that it means both disillusion and wisening up. which is seems very foreign to me as getting educated and getting disillusioned don't generally mesh.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Engaño" is when someone does something on purpose to make you believe something they know is false. "Engañar" is to deceive.
- María no pudo perdonar el engaño de Juan. -> Juan cheated on her and lied. She didn't forgive him.
- El discurso del presidente fue un engaño. No dijo nada cierto. -> One more politician that lies.

"Desengaño" implies that you were thinking someone or something was good or pleasing, and by learning the truth that things are not the way you thought, you feel disappointed. That's why it is always negative.
The meanings in the RAE are all negative: if you learn a lesson through a bitter experience, you're not getting educated, you're getting beaten up.

An example of "desengaño" is when you thought you were loved by someone, but you finally understand that they didn't, or that your favorite politician is corrupt; things like that. One is hurt by learning the truth about something or someone.
- Tenía esperanza de que Pedro me quisiera, pero ayer que lo vi con Rosa, ¡qué desengaño! -> I thought Pedro loved me, but he loves his girlfriend.
- Llevaba veinte años trabajando para la empresa creyendo que apreciaban mi esfuerzo, pero qué desengaño me llevé cuando me despidieron sin razón. -> I was unfairly treated after working for a firm for long and believing I was important for them.

[poli]

Thank you. It was Word Reference's definition of desengañar that raised questions for me. It also had me thinking about the English words to be disillusioned and to be wised up. They both mean the same thing, but one in a negative way, and the other more positive.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

To me, there is always something negative about "desengañar"/"desengañarse". The only difference is that "desengañar" may depend on an external factor and "desengañarse" is usually due to one realizing something was not the way I thought it was.

- La vida me ha desengañado. El mundo no es color de rosa.
Life has opened my eyes. The world is not pretty and perfect.

- Me desengañé del matrimonio después de mi divorcio.
I find marriage no longer anything good for me after I got a divorce.