self-delusion
Noun
- The act of deceiving oneself: "self-delusion" refers to the state or practice of holding false beliefs about oneself, one’s abilities, or one’s situation, despite evidence to the contrary. It is a form of psychological denial or wishful thinking.
- (He deceived himself into thinking he could succeed without effort.)
- (She ignored the reality of her financial troubles.)
"to be in a state of self-delusion": to persistently maintain a false belief about oneself.
- The politician was in a state of self-delusion, believing the public still trusted him. (He refused to accept the truth of his unpopularity.)
"self-delusion of grandeur": a specific form where a person falsely believes they are more important or talented than they are.
- His self-delusion of grandeur led him to apply for a job far beyond his qualifications. (He exaggerated his own abilities.)
Self-deluded (adj): having deceived oneself; holding false beliefs about oneself.
- The self-deluded artist thought his work was a masterpiece, but critics disagreed. (He was mistaken about his own talent.)
Self-deluding (adj): tending to deceive oneself; characteristic of self-delusion.
- His self-deluding optimism prevented him from seeing the risks. (His false optimism blinded him.)
- Self-deception: the act of misleading oneself; a broader term for false self-belief.
- Wishful thinking: interpreting facts according to what one wishes to be true, rather than reality.
- Denial: refusal to accept an unpleasant truth about oneself.
To live in a fool’s paradise: to be happily unaware of a dangerous or unpleasant reality.
- He lived in a fool’s paradise, believing his job was secure when layoffs were coming. (He was in a state of self-delusion.)
To have one’s head in the sand: to ignore obvious problems or facts.
- She had her head in the sand about her failing marriage, refusing to discuss it. (She practiced self-delusion.)
- None directly applicable: "self-delusion" is a noun and does not combine with verbs to form phrasal verbs. However, the verb phrase "to delude oneself" is closely related.
- He deluded himself into thinking he could finish the project in one day. (He engaged in self-delusion.)