paranoid
adjective
para·noid
ˈper-ə-ˌnȯid 
ˌpa-rə-
variants
or less commonly paranoidal
ˌper-ə-ˈnȯi-dᵊl
ˌpa-rə-
1
: characterized by or resembling paranoia or paranoid schizophrenia
a paranoid psychiatric patient
2
: characterized by suspiciousness, persecutory trends, or megalomania
behaving in a paranoid manner with accusations of persecutions
3
: extremely fearful
was so paranoid that he was afraid to walk the streets
paranoid
noun
Examples of paranoid in a Sentence
I guess I was just being paranoid.
She's a little paranoid about her job.
It's nothing more than a paranoid fantasy.
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s certainly what the Holland trailer feels like, putting Nicole Kidman at the center of a paranoid satire about a seemingly picture-perfect Michigan homemaker whose husband (Matthew Macfadyen) is up to … something.
—
Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Or is Julia, as the men in her life keep telling her, just being paranoid?
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
The discovery sets up a paranoid serial kidnapping mystery where no one, not even the father’s child, is safe and not even the FBI agent assigned to the case can help.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
Elizabeth became increasingly paranoid over the course of her 45-year reign, fearing a coup by subjects who clung to their Catholicism and favored another claim to the throne.
—Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
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Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Or is Julia, as the men in her life keep telling her, just being paranoid?
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
The discovery sets up a paranoid serial kidnapping mystery where no one, not even the father’s child, is safe and not even the FBI agent assigned to the case can help.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
Elizabeth became increasingly paranoid over the course of her 45-year reign, fearing a coup by subjects who clung to their Catholicism and favored another claim to the throne.
—Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
Cite this Entry
“Paranoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paranoid. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
paranoid
1 of 2 adjective
para·noid
ˈpar-ə-ˌnȯid
variants
also paranoidal
1
: characterized by or resembling paranoia or paranoid schizophrenia
2
: characterized by suspiciousness, persecutory trends, or megalomania
paranoid
2 of 2 noun
: one affected with paranoia or paranoid schizophrenia
called also paranoiac
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