delude

verb

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de·lude | \ di-ˈlüd

, dē- \

deluded; deluding

Definition of delude

transitive verb

1 : to mislead the mind or judgment of : deceive, trick … people he regards as deluded by the romantic idea that children somehow possess innate knowledge …— Andrew Delbanco … Hamilton apparently deluded himself, as the first Treasury secretary, into thinking his policies patriotic when their effect, Mr. Phillips says, was to put money into silken purses.— Michael Knox Beran

2 obsolete

a : frustrate, disappoint

b : evade, elude

Other Words from delude Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About delude

Choose the Right Synonym for delude

deceive, mislead, delude, beguile mean to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness. deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness. tried to deceive me about the cost mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional. I was misled by the confusing sign delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth. we were deluded into thinking we were safe beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving. was beguiled by false promises

Examples of delude in a Sentence

we deluded ourselves into thinking that the ice cream wouldn't affect our diet

Recent Examples on the Web Resist the urge to spin it, second-guess it or delude yourself out of it. — Washington Post, 30 May 2021 While leaders typically realize that there are key ingredients required to create a truly collaborative team, too many delude themselves into thinking that this type of collaborative environment will just develop by osmosis over time. — Dana Brownlee, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2021 And for those executives who don’t delude themselves, who are clearheaded about the sub-par state of their customer experience, sometimes an even more warped sentiment prevails. — Jon Picoult, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2021 Just keep chugging away and trying to improve and be open and never delude yourself that this is great. — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2021 The world is witnessing in Afghanistan a vivid and painful display of what happens when leaders in Washington delude themselves regarding persistent threats, the nature of America’s enemies and the ability to end wars by simply going home. — H.r. Mcmaster And Bradley Bowman, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2021 Some lie brazenly, others appear to delude themselves. — Lidija Haas, The New Republic, 19 May 2021 Here’s why the direction of price changes matters: In a year when crypto is up, traders can delude themselves. — William Baldwin, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021 No one, though, should delude themselves by extrapolating G-League stats to mean NBA-readiness. — Dallas News, 12 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.