Standard Lemma guide

self-deception

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S EH2 L F D AH0 S EH1 P SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of fooling oneself, of willfully not accepting the obvious.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: self-deceit, self-delusion

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a misconception that is favorable to the person who holds it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: self-deceit

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: misconception

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé? Proto-Indo-European *selbh-der. Proto-Germanic *selbaz Old English self Old English self- Middle English self- English self- English deception English self-deception From self- + deception.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: самоизмама (samoizmama) — fooling oneself
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自我欺騙 /自我欺骗 (zìwǒ qīpiàn) — fooling oneself
  • Czech: sebeklam — fooling oneself
  • Estonian: enesepettus — fooling oneself
  • Finnish: itsepetos — fooling oneself
  • French: auto-illusion — fooling oneself
  • German: Selbsttäuschung — fooling oneself
  • German: Selbstbetrug — fooling oneself
  • Greek: αυταπάτη (aftapáti) — fooling oneself
  • Hindi: आत्मवंचना (ātmavañcnā) — fooling oneself
  • Icelandic: sjálfsblekking — fooling oneself
  • Kannada: ಅತ್ಮವಂಚನೆ (atmavañcane) — fooling oneself
  • Macedonian: самозалажување (samozalažuvanje) — fooling oneself
  • Macedonian: самоизмама (samoizmama) — fooling oneself
  • Portuguese: autoenganação — fooling oneself
  • Romanian: autoamăgire — fooling oneself
  • Russian: самообма́н (samoobmán) — fooling oneself
  • Serbo-Croatian: самообмана — fooling oneself
  • Serbo-Croatian: samoobmana — fooling oneself
  • Spanish: autoengaño — fooling oneself
  • Swedish: självbedrägeri — fooling oneself