self-deception
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-deception
First recorded in 1670–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There’s a level of self-deception, because riding the whole city of Los Angeles seemed impossible to do,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Though “American hegemony” offered some benefits—“open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security and support for frameworks for resolving disputes”—it also required collective self-deception.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Fairy In A Bottle is a glorious bruise of a song, all about Alon's capacity for self-deception: "I want to worship you before the hope expires."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
To not see this for what it is can be attributed to being naïve and gullible, to self-deception by outright denial, or to being complicit.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2025
In the dream his deepest feeling was always one of self-deception, because he did in fact know what was behind the wall of darkness.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
