From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishself-deceptionˌself-deˈception noun [uncountable] WRONG/INCORRECTwhen you make yourself believe that something is true when it is not
Examples from the Corpus
self-deception• I guess the whole thing is the biggest self-deception there is.• What we call self-deception in others often proves liberating in our-selves!• But for every self-deception there is a moment when reality bites.• Perhaps he was engaging in self-deception to block out the troubling facts.• Was it self-deception or did she really feel warm to his touch?• But the political and ideological pressures that foster this particular kind of self-deception are stronger than I can remember.• But Anne Edwards was not given to self-deception and she knew what she was feeling. 