delude
delude
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling and Syllable Breakdown
The most common International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) phonetic spellings for "delude" are:
UK: /dɪˈluːd/ or /dɪˈljuːd/
US: /dɪˈluːd/ or /dəˈluːd/
Using the US pronunciation /dɪˈluːd/, here is the breakdown of the sounds in each syllable:
First Syllable: de- (/dɪ/ or /də/)
/d/ — The sound of the English letter 'd' as in 'dog' (voiced alveolar stop).
/ɪ/ or /ə/ — The short 'i' sound as in 'kit' (near-close near-front unrounded vowel) or the 'schwa' sound as in 'about' (mid-central vowel).
Second Syllable: -lude (/ˈluːd/)
/l/ — The sound of the English letter 'l' as in 'let' (voiced alveolar lateral approximant).
/uː/ — The long 'oo' sound as in 'food' (close back rounded vowel).
/d/ — The sound of the English letter 'd' as in 'dog' (voiced alveolar stop).
The stress is on this second syllable, indicated by the 'ˈ' symbol before it.
Word Form Variations
"Delude" is primarily used as a verb. The word form variations include:
Verb (Base/Infinitive): delude
Verb (Third-person singular present): deludes
Verb (Present participle/Gerund): deluding
Verb (Simple past and Past participle): deluded
Related Adjective (Past Participle): deluded (e.g., a deluded person)
Related Noun: delusion
Related Adjective: delusional
Related Noun (Person who deludes): deluder
Related Adverb: deludingly
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb: delude
Definition 1 (Transitive): To mislead a person's mind or judgment by thoroughly and sometimes intentionally causing them to believe something false, often obscuring the truth with false representations.
Synonyms: deceive, trick, fool, dupe, beguile, hoodwink, con.
Antonyms: undeceive, enlighten, set straight, disabuse, inform, unmask.
Definition 2 (Reflexive - 'delude oneself'): To engage in self-deception, causing one's own mind to accept a false idea or belief, usually because it is more pleasant or convenient than the reality.
Synonyms: self-deceive, live in denial, fool oneself, rationalize.
Antonyms: face the facts, be realistic, undeceive oneself, confront reality.
Adjective: deluded
Definition (Past Participle): Holding a belief or idea that is false, often due to deception or self-deception, resulting in a distorted or erroneous view of reality.
Synonyms: deceived, fooled, misled, mistaken, self-deceived, unrealistic.
Antonyms: clear-headed, realistic, informed, sound, rational, enlightened.
Examples of Use
📰 News and Online Publications
Political Commentary: A political analyst, discussing the failures of a specific international policy, wrote, "Europe should not delude itself on Libya, by constructing a post-conflict narrative to pretend that Europeans shaped events on the ground when they actually did not" (German Marshall Fund of the United States).
Media Analysis: An article examining trends in journalism stated, "Newspapers Come Up With Data To Delude Themselves That Their Web Efforts Are Going Well" (Techdirt, May 2007), referring to the publication of metrics designed to obscure underlying problems.
Business Advice: A column on professional behavior warned readers, "Don't Delude Yourself: These 3 Common Behaviors Hold Your Business Back," focusing on how self-deception about one's work ethic can inhibit success (Entrepreneur).
Public Discourse: A philosophical essay on social connection and technology noted, "With our smartphones in our hands... some of us may delude ourselves by thinking that men learned how to live and sleep and eat on their own" (Public Discourse, September 2024).
📚 Books and Literature
Political Biographies/History: In a discussion about a historical figure's motivations, an author wrote, "[The former Treasury Secretary] apparently deluded himself into thinking his policies patriotic when their effect... was to put money into silken purses" (Michael Knox Beran, citing a work on Hamilton).
Self-Help/Motivational Works: A common expression used in this genre is a warning against self-deception: "That said, don't delude yourself into thinking that you can get away with wearing a one piece shaper all the time" (YourDictionary sentence examples).
Religious/Spiritual Texts: The word appears in religious translations and commentary, such as the biblical injunction: "delude not yourselves, for God will not be mocked" (Paraphrased New Testament quote).
Literary Analysis: Critics often use the term when discussing tragic characters, such as stating, "In literature, tragic heroes often delude themselves into ignoring their fatal flaws" (Wordpandit).
📺 Entertainment and General Discourse
Television News/Opinion: An article about a former news anchor who maintained the authenticity of a controversial story years after it was discredited was titled, "Rather still deluding himself on Bush memos" (Phinney on Fonts, May 2012), highlighting the commentator's persistent self-deception.
Political Satire: Pundits frequently use the phrase when questioning the viability of a candidate's campaign: "[The politician] is deluding himself and will never be president" (Salon, December 2013).
Public Opinion/Discourse: In general conversation or un-cited opinion pieces, the verb is often used to directly accuse someone of having a wildly unrealistic view: "If they think that small adjustment will solve the company's financial crisis, they are thoroughly deluded."
10 Famous Quotes Using Delude
When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners... but to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously. (Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker)
Let none of us delude himself by supposing that honesty is always the best policy. (William Inge)
Journalists cover words and delude themselves into thinking they have committed journalism. (Hedrick Smith)
The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool. (Jane Wagner)
If we delude ourselves into thinking our beliefs are truths, then though we may feel comforted, we are ultimately committing a metaphysical kind of suicide. (Albert Camus, paraphrased thought)
Coolidge believed that government officials who tell themselves that spending benefits the economy delude themselves and the citizens. (Amity Shlaes)
The most successful tempters and thus the most dangerous are the deluded deluders. (Georg C. Lichtenberg)
I certainly don't delude myself that there aren't certainly more important things to do in life than make people laugh, but I can't imagine anything that would bring me more joy. (Bob Newhart)
We delude ourselves into believing that morality comes from somewhere else, whereas in reality we behave as we've been told to behave. (Greg Graffin)
The only consistent hobby I've had is studying Spanish and French because of some delusion of grandeur to work around the world. (William Sanderson)
Etymology
The word delude comes to us primarily from Latin and has a meaning centered around playing a trick or mocking.
Latin Root: The word traces back to the Latin verb dēlūdere.
This verb is formed by combining two parts:
The prefix dē-, which here means "down," "away from," or, in this context, can suggest a negative outcome or completion.
The verb lūdere, which means "to play," "to make sport of," or "to mock."
Put together, dēlūdere literally meant something like "to play false," "to mock," or "to dupe."
Journey to English: The term entered English around the 15th century (1400–1450), passing through Middle English.
First Known Meaning: When the word first appeared in English, its meaning was consistent with the Latin: to deceive, to mislead the mind or judgment of, or to frustrate and disappoint. The core idea was to lead someone away from the truth using trickery or false appearances.
In short, when you "delude" someone, you are, in a sense, playing a false game with them, using deception to lead their mind astray.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Delude
Here is a list of common and contextual phrases using the word "delude," followed by idioms using its synonyms for similar effects.
🗣️ Phrases Using "Delude"
Delude yourself into thinking... (The most common use, referring to believing a desired falsehood):
Example: She's deluding herself into thinking the job market will be easy.
Lest we delude ourselves... (A phrase used to preface a statement of difficult truth, urging realism):
Example: Lest we delude ourselves, the budget shortfall is worse than we expected.
Deluded by false hopes/promises (Describes being tricked by external factors):
Example: The investors were deluded by false promises of quick returns.
A thoroughly deluded notion (Uses the adjective form to describe an erroneous belief):
Example: That scheme is based on a thoroughly deluded notion of how power works.
Stop deluding yourself (A common, direct command to face reality).
🎭 Idioms Using Synonyms (for Similar Effect)
Since "delude" isn't found in many standalone idioms, here are highly relevant idioms that convey the act of deception or self-deception, often using synonyms like "fool" or "pull the wool over."
Pull the wool over someone's eyes (To deceive someone cleverly):
Similar to: Externally deluding others.
Living in a fool's paradise (To be happy or complacent because one is unaware of impending trouble; self-deception):
Similar to: Deluding yourself with false comfort.
Have one's head in the clouds (To be out of touch with reality, often due to daydreaming or unrealistic ideas):
Similar to: Being innocently deluded.
Lead someone up the garden path (To deceive someone and cause them to waste their time):
Similar to: Deluding someone with an intentionally misleading plan.
The Emperor has no clothes (Recognizing and revealing a falsehood that everyone else has been deluded into believing).
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of delude from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
