delude

[ dih-lood ]

/ dɪˈlud /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR delude ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·lud·ed, de·lud·ing.

to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive: His conceit deluded him into believing he was important.

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

Obsolete. to elude; evade.

RELATED WORDS

mistaken, betrayed, duped

Nearby words

deltoid ligament, deltoid muscle, deltoidal, delts, delubrum, delude, deluded, deluge, delusion, delusion of grandeur, delusion of negation

Origin of delude

1400–50; late Middle English deluden < Latin dēlūdere to play false, equivalent to dē- de- + lūdere to play

SYNONYMS FOR delude

1 beguile, cozen, dupe, cheat, defraud, gull.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR delude ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

de·lud·er, nounde·lud·ing·ly, adverbnon·de·lud·ed, adjectivenon·de·lud·ing, adjective

un·de·lud·ed, adjectiveun·de·lud·ed·ly, adverbun·de·lud·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for deluded

While obviously not as cartoonish as the deluded leaders in The Office, du Pont seemed to stretch credulity at times.
Channing Tatum Is the Real Star of ‘Foxcatcher'|Nico Hines|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All but in the fevered dreams of power mad politicians and their deluded followers is a world without immigration possible.
Superman Is Jewish: The Hebrew Roots of America's Greatest Superhero|Rich Goldstein|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But for Dawkins the “rape is rape is rape” believers are the deluded absolutists.
Atheist King Richard Dawkins’ Rape Fantasy|Tim Teeman|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When news leaked that Beyoncé lip-synced “The Star Spangled Banner,” her “Beyhive” came alive in (deluded) defense of the star.
Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, and Lady Gaga’s Fan Armies Rally on Twitter|Tricia Romano|January 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The aggrieved and deluded suggest secession—a question that was definitively settled four score and seven years ago.
The GOP Faces Years in the Wilderness After 2012 Election Losses|Robert Shrum|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The non-slaveholders were not deluded followers of the slave owners.
Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama|Walter L. Fleming
The night that gentleman's daughter was deluded to our house, you were one of them.'
The Vicar of Wakefield|Oliver Goldsmith
She was not deluded about Fanny's character, though the maternal mote in her eye obscured her critical vision of her appearance.
Life and Gabriella|Ellen Glasgow
You have suffered yourself to be deluded by the whisperings of that feeling whose tendency was to wean your soul from Heaven.
Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf|George W. M. Reynolds
It is a cruel thing that people should be deluded out of their savings by high-sounding names.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 104, May 6, 1893|Various

British Dictionary definitions for deluded

delude

/ (dɪˈluːd) /

verb (tr)

to deceive the mind or judgment of; mislead; beguile

rare to frustrate (hopes, expectations, etc)

Derived Formsdeludable, adjectivedeluder, noundeludingly, adverb

Word Origin for delude

C15: from Latin dēlūdere to mock, play false, from de- + lūdere to play

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deluded

delude

c.1400, from Latin deludere "to play false; to mock, deceive," from de- "down, to one's detriment" + ludere "to play" (see ludicrous). Related: Deluded; deluding.