self-delusion

[self-di-loo-zhuhn, self-]

noun

1. the act or fact of deluding oneself.

self-delusion

noun

1. the act or state of deceiving or deluding oneself

Other Word Forms

• self-deluded adjective
• self-deluding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-delusion¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

But he’s more of a Don Quixote tilting at windmills because his solutions amount to the same level of self-delusion.

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"Her speech today was an exercise in self-delusion. Today she had an opportunity to apologise and show some humility," she said.

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She had gambled on the family’s foolishness and self-delusion, and she had won by a length, as they say at the Derby.

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In the long term, Israel and the U.S. must avoid self-delusion: Hamas hasn’t disappeared.

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See above re: superhuman levels of self-delusion that typically function as an asset.

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