delude

American  

[dih-lood] / dɪˈlud /

verb (used with object)

deluded, deluding

1. to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive.

   His conceit deluded him into believing he was important.

   Synonyms:

   gull, defraud, cheat, dupe, cozen, beguile

2. Obsolete. to mock or frustrate the hopes or aims of.

3. Obsolete. to elude; evade.

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delude British  

/ dɪˈluːd /

verb

1. to deceive the mind or judgment of; mislead; beguile

2. rare to frustrate (hopes, expectations, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• deludable adjective
• deluder noun
• deludingly adverb
• nondeluding adjective
• undeluding adjective

Etymology

Origin of delude

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English deluden, from Latin dēlūdere “to play false,” equivalent to dē- de- + lūdere “to play”

Example Sentences

“We can delude ourselves for a while that this is not a real cost, but we’re only fooling ourselves at the end of the day,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We delude ourselves, too, if we think that power will accumulate safely and only in the hands of dispassionate ‘people . . . found in agencies.’”

From The Wall Street Journal

“Are they bigots? Are they deluded in thinking that they are subjected to unfair competition?”

From The Wall Street Journal

But he is also so paranoid, deluded and consumed with self-loathing that throughout this caustically witty novel we can’t help but root for him every step of the way.

From The Wall Street Journal

The trip sent him into what he describes as a "deluded" state.

From BBC

Related Words

• dupe
• hoodwink
• misguide
• mislead