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.

---

delude British  

/ dɪˈluːd /

verb

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

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

---

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

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

"They weren't there; they weren't involved in the investigation. Some of these people are deluded," he says.

From BBC

That was the reason the casino bothered to list the wheel’s most recent spins: to help gamblers to delude themselves.

From Literature

Earl's barrister Paul Hynes KC described his client as "a sad individual" and compared him to the deluded fictional character Walter Mitty.

From BBC

Related Words

• dupe
• hoodwink
• misguide
• mislead