self-delusion
noun
self-de·lu·sion
ˌself-di-ˈlü-zhən 
-dē-
plural self-delusions
1
: the act of deluding oneself or the state of being deluded by oneself especially concerning one's true nature, abilities, feelings, etc.
My god-given talent for self-delusion keeps me believing that the increasing amount of time I spend alone is of my own choice …—
Matthew Ritger
Matthew RitgerThey know what they are doing is wrong. And it's our job to remind them of it. Because when we don't continually remind them, people devolve into self-delusion.—Jessica Valenti
Jessica Valenti2
: a delusion that one has concerning oneself
… a star of immense talent who harbored no self-delusions.—Eric Marchese
Eric MarcheseExamples of self-delusion in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Werther, in his self-delusion, embodies another Goethean type, the longing man—ordinary, but convinced of the extraordinariness of his feelings.
—Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
In the end, The Beast in Me — with its deft navigation of the gray areas between justice and vengeance, truth and self-delusion — refuses to offer any easy answers to these uneasy questions of moral responsibility.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 19 Nov. 2025
To tunnel inside a Chekhov story is to feel a narrowing that confounds and vexes us—whether through poverty, despair, indolence, or self-delusion—and, simultaneously, to taste the boundlessness of human longing.
—Philip Metres
july 30, Literary Hub, 30 July 2025
But the downside is that this same emotional fuel powers self-delusion.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 18 June 2025
For someone with mega billions, this type of self-delusion could become mega pronounced.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025
Caio may suffer from dangerous degrees of self-delusion.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 June 2025
The cast was all so wonderful about playing layers, juggling some desperate feeling along with the lie or self-delusion.
—Peter White, Deadline, 21 May 2025
The game is a minefield, every step more precarious than the last — self-discipline, self-confidence and self-delusion in all directions.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 21 May 2025
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Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
In the end, The Beast in Me — with its deft navigation of the gray areas between justice and vengeance, truth and self-delusion — refuses to offer any easy answers to these uneasy questions of moral responsibility.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 19 Nov. 2025
To tunnel inside a Chekhov story is to feel a narrowing that confounds and vexes us—whether through poverty, despair, indolence, or self-delusion—and, simultaneously, to taste the boundlessness of human longing.
—Philip Metres
july 30, Literary Hub, 30 July 2025
But the downside is that this same emotional fuel powers self-delusion.
—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 18 June 2025
For someone with mega billions, this type of self-delusion could become mega pronounced.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025
Caio may suffer from dangerous degrees of self-delusion.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 June 2025
The cast was all so wonderful about playing layers, juggling some desperate feeling along with the lie or self-delusion.
—Peter White, Deadline, 21 May 2025
The game is a minefield, every step more precarious than the last — self-discipline, self-confidence and self-delusion in all directions.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-delusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-delusion. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
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