delude
/di'lu:d/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To cause someone to believe something that is not true; to deceive or mislead someone.
- To impose a misleading belief upon someone; to trick.
Usage
The verb delude is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (the person being deceived). It often implies a deliberate act of deception that results in someone holding a false idea or hope. It is commonly used with a reflexive pronoun (e.g., myself, yourself) when someone deceives themselves.
Examples
- Basic Usage:
- The scam artist deluded the elderly couple into giving him their life savings.
- Don't delude yourself into thinking the task will be easy.
- With Reflexive Pronoun:
- He deluded himself that his bad habits wouldn't affect his health.
- If you believe you can succeed without hard work, you are deluding yourself.
Advanced Usage
- "to delude someone with something": To use a specific thing (e.g., promises, appearances) as the means of deception.
- The dictator deluded the population with empty promises of prosperity.
- "to delude someone into doing something": To deceive someone so that they perform a specific action.
- She was deluded into signing a fraudulent contract.
Variants and Related Words
- Delusion (n): A false belief or impression, especially one that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by reality.
- He was under the delusion that he was invincible.
- Deluded (adj): Believing something that is not true; misled.
- The deluded fan thought the celebrity was in love with him.
- Delusional (adj): Characterized by or holding false beliefs, often symptomatic of a mental condition.
- The patient suffered from delusional thoughts.
Synonyms
- Deceive: To cause someone to believe an untruth.
- Mislead: To lead someone in the wrong direction or give them a wrong idea.
- Hoodwink: To deceive or trick someone (informal).
- Bamboozle: To confuse or fool someone (informal).
Antonyms
- Enlighten: To give someone greater knowledge and understanding.
- Undecieve: To tell someone the truth so they are no longer deceived.
- Disabuse: To persuade someone that an idea or belief is mistaken.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- Delusions of grandeur: A false belief in one's own importance, power, or identity.
- After his first small success, he suffered from delusions of grandeur.
- Labor under a delusion: To persistently believe something that is false.
- You are laboring under a delusion if you think they will change the rules for you.
Verb
- be false to; be dishonest with