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self-deception

[ self-di-sep-shuh n, self- ]

/ ˈsɛlf dɪˈsɛp ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR self-deception ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or fact of deceiving oneself.

Also called self-de·ceit

[self-di-seet, self-] /ˈsɛlf dɪˈsit, ˌsɛlf-/.

Origin of self-deception

First recorded in 1670–80

OTHER WORDS FROM self-deception

self-de·cep·tive, adjective

Words nearby self-deception

self-criticism, self-curing resin, self-dealing, self-deceived, self-deceiving, self-deception, self-defeating, self-defence, self-defense, self-deliverance, self-delusion

Example sentences from the Web for self-deception

The mask of self-deception was no longer a mask for me, it was a part of me.

Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show |Robert W. Chambers |February 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It demonstrates either an incredible act of purposeful evasion or self-deception.

Buddhist Retreat’s Death Saga |Lizzie Crocker |July 10, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
They simply point to paradox and self-deception with sharper eyes than tongue.

Catastrophe in Verse |Eliza Griswold |April 21, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
Wit, charm, and even vulnerability shine through his snobbery and self-deception says Kirk Davis Swinehart.

The Enigmatic Nomad |Kirk Davis Swinehart |February 26, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

Other stories of his illustrate the futility of self-deception on the part of the author.

Talks on the study of literature. |Arlo Bates
Everything else is humbug on the one side and self-deception on the other.

What is Coming? |H. G. Wells
And even greater than this ingenuity at reprisals is its capacity for self-deception.

Ramona |Helen Hunt Jackson
Not being as unscrupulous as his French associate, he found it necessary to employ an immense amount of self-deception.

A Desperate Voyage |Edward Frederick Knight
In its vaguer significance the phrase, though it contains a truth, contains also some possibilities of self-deception and error.

Tremendous Trifles |G. K. Chesterton

British Dictionary definitions for self-deception

self-deception

self-deceit

noun

the act or an instance of deceiving oneself, esp as to the true nature of one's feelings or motives

Derived forms of self-deception

self-deceptive, adjective