deluded
Believing false things
Deluded describes someone who holds false beliefs despite evidence to the contrary.
A deluded person isn't merely mistaken—they're convinced of something others can see is wrong: He's deluded if he thinks she's coming back.
The word suggests self-deception or wishful thinking that resists correction.
To delude is to deceive or mislead, often oneself.
Innocently unsuspecting
- gullibleEasily deceived
- credulousProne to blind trust
- trustingInclined to believe others
- unsuspectingNot anticipating danger
impressionable · suggestible · exploitable · green · unworldly · innocent · duped · fooled
Refusal to accept reality
- blindnessAbsence of vision
- willful ignorancePurposely remaining uninformed
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- wishful thinkingBelief shaped by desire
fantasy · unreality · pipe dream · make-believe · false belief · misperception · cognitive dissonance · confirmation bias
Mentally disturbed, irrational
- unhingedMentally or emotionally unstable
- psychoticSuffering reality-detachment
- paranoidUnreasonably suspicious of others
- manicAbnormally elevated, agitated
schizophrenic · hallucinating · dissociated · disturbed · unstable · irrational · incoherent · mad
Faker claiming false expertise
- con artistProfessional fraud perpetrator
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- quackFake healer or fowl noise
- snake oil salesmanFraudulent remedy peddler
cult leader · demagogue · propagandist · manipulator · gaslighter · swindler · huckster · impostor
One with grandiose self-image
- narcissistSelf-obsessed person
- egomaniacOne obsessed with themselves
- overconfidentExcessively sure of oneself
- self-importantExaggerating one's own significance
pompous · conceited · vainglorious · hubris · messiah complex · superiority complex · emperor's new clothes · puffed up
naive
Innocently unsuspecting
unsuspecting · impressionable · suggestible · exploitable · green · unworldly · innocent · duped · fooled · bamboozled
denial
Refusal to accept reality
- blindnessAbsence of vision
- willful ignorancePurposely remaining uninformed
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
wishful thinking · fantasy · unreality · pipe dream · make-believe · false belief · misperception · cognitive dissonance · confirmation bias · echo chamber
deranged
Mentally disturbed, irrational
- unhingedMentally or emotionally unstable
- psychoticSuffering reality-detachment
- paranoidUnreasonably suspicious of others
manic · schizophrenic · hallucinating · dissociated · disturbed · unstable · irrational · incoherent · mad · insane
charlatan
Faker claiming false expertise
- con artistProfessional fraud perpetrator
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- quackFake healer or fowl noise
snake oil salesman · cult leader · demagogue · propagandist · manipulator · gaslighter · swindler · huckster · impostor · false prophet
megalomaniac
One with grandiose self-image
- narcissistSelf-obsessed person
- egomaniacOne obsessed with themselves
- overconfidentExcessively sure of oneself
self-important · pompous · conceited · vainglorious · hubris · messiah complex · superiority complex · emperor's new clothes · puffed up · big-headed
- dupeddeceived, tricked, fooled, conned, swindled
- off targetoff target, off-target, off the mark, wide of the mark, wide
- CervantesDon Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, Sancho Panza, Cervantes, Rocinante
deludedclear-eyed
Perceiving without distortion
clear-sighted · undeluded · realistic · lucid · disabused
deludedlucid
Mentally sharp and comprehensible
sane · clear-headed · rational · coherent · of sound mind
deludedself-aware
Conscious of own existence
clear-eyed · humble · grounded · self-critical · introspective