paranoid

Archaic, par·a·noi·ac;

[par-uh-noid]

adjective

1. of, like, or experiencing paranoia.

noun

1. a person with paranoia.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paranoid¹

First recorded in 1900–05; paranoi(a) + -oid, with base and suffix merged, perhaps by shortening of the expected but unrecorded paranoioid

Example Sentences

"Both the US and Taiwan are paranoid and jumpy about Palau switching," said Graeme Smith, a senior fellow at the Australian National University.

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“In the future, of course, people will become more paranoid in economics,” Acemoglu said.

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“Mike wasn’t paranoid,” said a New York investor who observed the behavior of other New York investors in Scion Capital.

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But, echoing other industry executives, he said Tesla would be “paranoid about deployment because, obviously, even one accident will be front-page headline news worldwide.”

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The paranoid and delusional Mr. Ferguson, then 35, opened fire on a car full of 80 passengers riding an evening train into New York City, killing six and wounding 19.

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When To Use

What does paranoid mean?

Paranoid is an adjective used to describe someone who has the mental disorder paranoia, which is characterized by delusions and feelings of extreme distrust, suspicion, and being targeted by others. Such thoughts and actions can also be described as paranoid.Paranoid is also commonly used more generally to mean overly suspicious or irrationally distrustful of others. It’s important to understand that while paranoid is used generally outside of its psychiatric usage in a way that makes it seem less serious, being paranoid is a major symptom of disorders like paranoid schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder.Example: Just because I lock my doors at night doesn’t mean I’m being paranoid—it just means I’m being cautious.