self-deceiving
Americanadjective
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subject to self-deception; tending to deceive or fool oneself.
a self-deceiving person.
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used in deceiving oneself, especially in justifying a false belief, a morally reprehensible act, or the like.
a self-deceiving argument.
Etymology
Origin of self-deceiving
First recorded in 1605–15
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.
And so, in a self-deceiving riposte, Mrs. Biden and her husband’s advisers repeated and repeated and repeated the exact opposite.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Penn captures the beating heart of an inveterate explorer, at its most self-deceiving but also at its bravest and boldest.
From Washington Post • Jul. 28, 2021
Get Out’s story was about the violence embedded in the self-deceiving notion that our country has “transcended” race.
From Slate • Jan. 4, 2018
The kids here are smarter or less smart; more mature or naive; more honest or deceitful, or self-deceiving; wilder or more cautious.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2014
What sadder scene can angels view Than self-deceiving tears, Poured idly over some dark page Of earlier life, though pride or rage, The record of to-day engage, A woe for future years?
From The Christian Year by Keble, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
