delude

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪˈlud/ UK /dɪˈluːd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive

Don't delude yourself that this will be easy.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to mislead the mind or... deceive mislead beguile dupe fool hoodwink trick cozen

Opposites

enlighten undeceive disabuse

Word family

Derived forms deluderdeludeddeluding

Related forms delusion delusive elude illusion

Simplified etymology

Delude entered English in the late Middle Ages from Latin deludere ‘to mock’. The Latin verb combines de-, used with a disparaging force, and ludere ‘to play’.

Etymology

From Latin deludere ('to mock, deceive'), from de- ('down, to one's detriment') + ludere ('to play'), from ludus ('game, play').

deludere Latin ludere Latin ludus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# delude

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈlud/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈluːd/

## Meanings
1. to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive

## Examples
- Don't delude yourself that this will be easy.

## Synonyms
- deceive
- mislead
- beguile
- dupe
- fool
- hoodwink
- trick
- cozen

## Antonyms
- enlighten
- undeceive
- disabuse

## Derived Forms
- deluder
- deluded
- deluding

## Related Forms
- delusion
- delusive
- elude
- illusion

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: deludere
- Root: ludere
- Root: ludus

## Etymology
From Latin deludere ('to mock, deceive'), from de- ('down, to one's detriment') + ludere ('to play'), from ludus ('game, play').

## AI Etymology
Delude is from Latin deludere ('to mock, deceive'), from de- ('down, to one's detriment') + ludere ('to play'), from ludus ('game, play'). The ancestry passes through Latin deludere, Latin ludere, and Latin ludus. The prefix de- often marks removal, reversal, or downward motion in Latin formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a verb, it means "to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include delusion, delusive, elude, and illusion; derived forms include deluder, deluded, and deluding.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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