self-deception
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
What makes this powerful is that it doesn’t feel like self-deception.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
This seems to be more of a problem than he’s admitting, and it’s not the only self-deception he practices.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 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
But what role does this form of self-deception play in how people think about climate change?
From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2024
To ignore this science is to engage in self-deception, to tell ourselves a lie.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
