delirium
Americannoun
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Pathology. a more or less temporary disorder of the mental faculties, as in fevers, disturbances of consciousness, or intoxication, characterized by restlessness, excitement, delusions, hallucinations, etc.
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a state of violent excitement or emotion.
noun
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a state of excitement and mental confusion, often accompanied by hallucinations, caused by high fever, poisoning, brain injury, etc
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violent excitement or emotion; frenzy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of delirium
1590–1600; < Latin dēlīrium frenzy, equivalent to dēlīr ( āre ) ( see deliration) + -ium -ium
Explanation
Experiencing delirium? Then you're out of your mind and so excited you're hallucinating. Many things can cause delirium, including illness, high stress, and your team winning the World Series after 100 years of trying. Delirium means “madness” in Latin, and for good reason. Patients with high fevers or who suffer severe trauma might experience a state of delirium, full of mental confusion and maybe a little hysteria. And if you’ve ever stayed up all night writing a paper or working hard to meet some deadline, you’ve probably experienced moments of delirium, where you feel crazed and hallucinatory, fueled by sleep deprivation and too much coffee.
Vocabulary lists containing delirium
Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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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.
Richardson, Netflix, Kinetic Content and Delirium TV did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2025
Dream’s psychologically fragile little sister, Delirium, was once known as Delight, until some awful, unspecified trauma twisted her beyond repair.
From Salon • Jul. 3, 2025
Delirium filled Lumen Field before the players could break a sweat.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2023
The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, names both Netflix and Kinetic Content as defendants alongside Kinetic's casting company Delirium TV.
From BBC • Jul. 18, 2022
Delirium, Hypochondriasis, Morbid Activity of Mind, certain degrees of Paralysis, and various nervous affections.
From On the Nature of Thought or, The act of thinking and its connexion with a perspicuous sentence by Haslam, John
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.
