adjective
-
affected with delirium
-
wildly excited, esp with joy or enthusiasm
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of delirious
First recorded in 1590–1600; deliri(um) + -ous
Explanation
If you're delirious you're uncontrollably excited or a bit crazy, like when you win the lottery and run screaming through the streets, delirious with happiness. While we sometimes like to say, metaphorically, that strong emotions make us delirious, this adjective has more grim origins, in the Latin word for delirium or "madness" — in the medical sense, that is. When you're delirious from a high fever or a serious bump to the head, you might become incoherent, hallucinate, or have disturbing dreams. The story of The Wizard of Oz is based on the delirious dream Dorothy has after she bumps her head during a tornado.
Vocabulary lists containing delirious
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Holes
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Prince (1958-2016) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, after four successful kicks, there would be no reprieve for Gabriel who fired his penalty over the crossbar and into the delirious PSG fans.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
The New York Times described Rollins as establishing “a genuine American rhetoric, delirious and ecstatic; audiences reoriented their imagination, and their sense of patience, around them.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
When he woke, still a little delirious, ElAttrache told him the news: “This was the worst injury I’ve ever seen of this kind, and I don’t know how you played,” Hernández recalled him saying.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
Joe stepped off the curb with a massive smile, and for a second I just stood there, jetlagged and slightly delirious.
From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026
I have no memory of how I made it off the rooftop, delirious with fever and nearly crippled.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
