self-deceiver
A self-deceiver often ignores clear evidence to maintain a comforting belief.
Noun: A person who deceives themselves; someone who holds false beliefs about themselves or their situation, often to avoid facing unpleasant truths.
- (A person who refuses to acknowledge reality about his financial situation.)
- (Someone who maintains an unrealistic positive view of their own behaviour.)
- (A person who rationalises unethical actions to themselves.)
"to be a self-deceiver": to habitually engage in self-deception.
- Only a true self-deceiver could ignore the evidence of his own eyes. (To be someone who consistently avoids facing reality.)
"a chronic self-deceiver": someone who persistently deceives themselves over a long period.
- She was a chronic self-deceiver, always blaming others for her own mistakes. (A person with a long-term pattern of self-deception.)
Self-deception (n): the act of deceiving oneself; the state of being deceived by oneself.
- His self-deception was so strong that he could not see his own flaws. (The process or result of fooling oneself.)
Self-deceiving (adj): engaging in or characterised by self-deception.
- Her self-deceiving optimism prevented her from preparing for the worst. (Having a tendency to deceive oneself.)
Self-deceived (adj): having been deceived by oneself; holding false beliefs about oneself.
- The self-deceived artist believed his mediocre work was genius. (The state of being fooled by one's own mind.)
- Self-deluder: a person who deludes themselves; a synonym for self-deceiver.
- Self-fooler: someone who fools themselves (less formal).
- Hypocrite: often implies deceiving others as well, but can overlap with self-deception.
To live in denial: to refuse to accept a painful or unpleasant reality.
- He lives in denial about his addiction, making him a classic self-deceiver. (Refusing to acknowledge a problem.)
To be in a fool's paradise: to be happy because of false hopes or illusions.
- She was in a fool's paradise, believing her job was secure, but she was just a self-deceiver. (A state of deceptive contentment.)