self-deceive

verb

self-de·ceive ˌself-di-ˈsēv

self-deceived; self-deceiving; self-deceives

: to deceive oneself especially concerning oneself

Faced with the choice between attributing their performance to the presence of the answers or their own ability, people chose to self-deceive, convincing themselves that their performance was due not to the answers but to themselves.—

Zoë Chance et al.

self-deceived adjective

One of her [Jane Austen's] novels, Emma, is narrated so much through the consciousness of its self-deceived heroine that the reader too keeps being deceived. —

John Mullan

We are all invited … to change or to retrench and double down on the self-deceived notion that we have things all figured out. —

Tim Suttle

self-deceiving adjective

self-deceiving people/beliefs

self-deceiver noun

plural self-deceivers

Self-deceivers are people who don't see their own values, motives and beliefs clearly. —

Robert Lynch

Examples of self-deceive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

There is something self-deceiving about Israel’s determination to pursue only revenge against Hamas rather than peace with the Palestinians. —

Raja Shehadeh, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2023 The fact that everybody is a liar, the fact that people are hopelessly self-deceived about their own actions and intentions doesn’t mean that there isn’t truth. —

David Marchese David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023 Ron tells Ricky — and all are self-deceiving about their own faults. —

Vulture, 6 June 2023