self-delusion

American  

[self-di-loo-zhuhn, self-] / ˈsɛlf dɪˈlu ʒən, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. the act or fact of deluding oneself.

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self-delusion British  

noun

1. the act or state of deceiving or deluding oneself

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Other Word Forms

• self-deluded adjective
• self-deluding adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-delusion

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

In between lies a spectrum of self-interest and, perhaps, self-delusion, but the particulars of this “POV” presentation provide a unique window into the various issues, thanks largely to the personalities involved.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

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

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2025

Those tour de force scenes are a reminder of Fisher’s canny ear for the specific cadence of Angelenos fully immersed in the twinned make-believe worlds of moviemaking and self-delusion.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2024

No. But what has Mike Pence ever demonstrated as a public figure, if not an immense capacity for self-delusion?

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2023

If art was no more than a frustrated outflinging of desire, if religion was no more than self-delusion, what good was life?

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury