delude

verb

de·lude | \ di-ˈlüd

, dē-\

deluded; deluding

Definition of delude

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

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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

Consider this advanced therapy for casual fans deluding themselves that the M’s can compete this year. — Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times, "If you like spring training, you’re in luck. The Mariners’ season will be six months of it.," 27 Mar. 2019 Has he been deluded in the past, and is only now seeing hard reality? — Martin Peretz, WSJ, "‘The Empire and the Five Kings’ Review: The Desert Grows," 12 Feb. 2019 The theory that all children are geniuses came from the marketing team at Baby Einstein or deluded parents. — Tamar Adler, Vogue, "Is Healthy Snack Food Actually Healthy—or Just Addictive?," 18 Jan. 2019 Well, if candidates all deluded themselves like that, no one would ever get a gig. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "Bethenny Frankel Doesn't Need to Be Thanked. But She Wouldn't Mind a Little Gratitude From President Trump.," 14 Sep. 2018 At this point, for me, Ford and the Man in Black are different sides of the same megalomaniacal coin, deluded and increasingly tiresome to watch. — The Atlantic, "Westworld: Ghost Nation, Revealed," 10 June 2018 Using the argument of art’s truth as a bludgeon, Annie dismisses her son’s feelings, offering an even harsher version of the neglect on display by the self-servingly deluded poet-mother in Augusten Burroughs’s memoir Running With Scissors. — Katherine Fusco, The Atlantic, "Hereditary and the Monstrousness of Creative Moms," 11 July 2018 The message O’Connor sent with the benchings on Saturday night was, in essence, telling the players to stop deluding themselves into thinking the nine-match losing streak was some fluky happenstance of bad breaks, bad officiating and bad coaching. — Mike Bianchi, Pro Soccer USA, "James O’Connor is finally forcing Orlando City’s players to look in the mirror," 14 July 2018 The film feels no need to convince us Graves isn't deluded, but anyone curious enough to do a bit of research will find accredited Western-medicine physicians who take him seriously. — John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Milford Graves: Full Mantis': Film Review," 11 July 2018

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.