adjective
-
affected with delirium
-
wildly excited, esp with joy or enthusiasm
Other Word 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.
The Warrington teenager cupped his ears to lap up the adulation of a delirious crowd while fellow Englishman Aspinall laughed in disbelief before he gave Littler a high five.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
I’d happily tag along for more delirious seasons as he searches for answers.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
From that ordeal came “Deathfugue,” first appearing in 1947 in Romanian translation as “Death Tango,” a title that better suggests its delirious, macabre motion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Some of the outfits seem to confer the power of flight, though that illusion is fostered by the delirious energy of human forms liberated from conformity.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
I realized that he probably did not remember, since he had been sick and delirious at the time.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
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.
