paranoia
noun
para·noia
ˌper-ə-ˈnȯi-ə 
ˌpa-rə-
1
: mental illness characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations
Psychotic symptoms and paranoia persisted, and she continued to "find clues" of conspiracy against her.—
Helen K. Delichatsios et al.
Helen K. Delichatsios et al.2
: a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
The members of America's racist right inhabit a murky world of conspiracy, suspicion, and paranoia.—Wayne King
Wayne King
paranoiac
adjective or noun
or less commonly paranoic
Examples of paranoia in a Sentence
She was diagnosed with delusional paranoia.
I had to admit that my fears were just paranoia.
Recent Examples on the Web
Developing robust risk management strategies is not about paranoia but preparedness.
—Jim Stevenson, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Even this bizarre relationship echoes the era’s confusion and paranoia, with its unchecked consumerism and its sense that corporate society now had a mind of its own, as well as the uneasy role celebrity plays in the whole thing.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
Compulsion Games' previous title, We Happy Few, blended many influences to riff on 1960s British paranoia.
—PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
The term had the slightly kitschy flavor of other Cold War embarrassments—C.I.A. spy cats and Reds-under-the-bed paranoia.
—Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoia
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Jim Stevenson, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Even this bizarre relationship echoes the era’s confusion and paranoia, with its unchecked consumerism and its sense that corporate society now had a mind of its own, as well as the uneasy role celebrity plays in the whole thing.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
Compulsion Games' previous title, We Happy Few, blended many influences to riff on 1960s British paranoia.
—PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
The term had the slightly kitschy flavor of other Cold War embarrassments—C.I.A. spy cats and Reds-under-the-bed paranoia.
—Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoia
Cite this Entry
“Paranoia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paranoia. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paranoia
noun
para·noia
ˌpar-ə-ˈnȯi-ə
1
: a serious mental illness marked especially by feelings of persecution or an exaggerated sense of one's own importance usually without hallucinations
2
: a tendency toward being overly suspicious and distrustful
Medical Definition
paranoia
noun
para·noia
ˌpar-ə-ˈnȯi-ə
1
: a psychosis characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations
2
: a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
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