delude

Everyday

1. To delude someone means to trick them into believing something that is not true. tree →
2. To delude yourself means to believe something untrue because you want it to be true. tree →

In the lessons

In stories it shows a character who is fooled, or who fools himself: «Don't delude yourself». In everyday life it is often used when someone has false hopes. Related words: deluded (adjective: believing false things), delusion (a false belief). Phrases: «delude yourself», «deluded into thinking».

Examples

• Don't delude yourself — you can't learn the whole song in five minutes. tree →
• The fox deluded the crow into dropping the cheese. tree →
• He was deluded into thinking he would win easily. tree →
• She deluded herself that nobody had noticed. tree →
• Advertisements can delude people into buying things they don't need. tree →
• The king was deluded by flattering advisers. tree →
• ‘What!’ cried the King angrily, ‘have I been altogether deceived and deluded? tree →

Note

Regular verb: deluded. Noun: delusion; adjective: deluded («a deluded man»). Do not confuse with «dilute» (to make weaker with water) or «elude» (to escape from). «Deluded» is fairly strong; calling someone deluded can be rude. In medicine, a «delusion» is a fixed false belief that can be a sign of illness.