self-deception

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Though “American hegemony” offered some benefits—“open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security and support for frameworks for resolving disputes”—it also required collective self-deception.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Fairy In A Bottle is a glorious bruise of a song, all about Alon's capacity for self-deception: "I want to worship you before the hope expires."

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025

To not see this for what it is can be attributed to being naïve and gullible, to self-deception by outright denial, or to being complicit.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2025

Baker wrote the part for her, and Madison returned the favor with a star-making performance, leaning into Ani’s audacity while revealing the fragile façade, the vulnerabilities and self-deception lurking underneath.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024

In the dream his deepest feeling was always one of self-deception, because he did in fact know what was behind the wall of darkness.

From "1984" by George Orwell