paranoia
Americannoun
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Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission.
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baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.
noun
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a form of schizophrenia characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of the personality, involving delusions and often hallucinations
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a mental disorder characterized by any of several types of delusions, in which the personality otherwise remains relatively intact
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informal intense fear or suspicion, esp when unfounded
Usage
What does paranoia mean? Paranoia is a mental disorder characterized by delusions and feelings of extreme distrust, suspicion, and being targeted by others. Paranoia is also commonly used more generally to mean extreme suspicion or irrational distrust of others. It’s important to understand that while paranoia is used generally outside of its psychiatric usage in a way that makes it seem less serious, having paranoia is a major symptom of disorders like paranoid schizophrenia and paranoid personality disorder. The adjective paranoid can be used to describe a person, action, or thought that exhibits paranoia. A rare alternate spelling for the word is paranoea. Example: Locking my doors at night isn’t a sign of paranoia—it just means I’m being cautious.
Discover More
In popular terminology, a “paranoid” personality is characterized by suspicion and distrust of others; a tendency to look for hidden meaning behind other people's actions; argumentativeness; complaining; low tolerance for criticism; and a constant display of one's own talents, accomplishments, independence, and rationality.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of paranoia
First recorded in 1805–15; from New Latin, from Greek paránoia “madness,” from paráno(os) “demented” (equivalent to para- 1 + nous ) + -ia -ia
Explanation
Something that happens to a person's thinking can lead to paranoia. You may believe that your friends no longer like you, but it's just that your paranoia makes you suspicious of everyone. Paranoia is from the Greek para-, "beyond, irregular," and noos, "mind." It is an irregularity of the mind, a mental disorder that distorts a person's perception of what is real. Someone with paranoia may believe that other people are out to get them or are watching them all the time. Doctors who treat paranoia look for causes, and while patients can develop the disorder gradually and sometimes due to life circumstances, such as abuse or neglect, the use and abuse of drugs can also cause paranoia.
Vocabulary lists containing paranoia
"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (1950)
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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.
See Examples For:
Max Cady either validates the paranoia of upstanding men obsessed with protecting or dominating women, or the disdain felt by those whom such men look down upon.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
But the episode has "created a big paranoia in trusting any companies that are in charge of travel bookings," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
On June 9, he’s launching “Tea & Scotch” on YouTube, which delves into more observational comedy subjects such as ghost-seeing cats, AI paranoia and parenting a teenager.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
But now it seems that a very contemporary and more personal issue could be gnawing at Timesfolk and driving them to the brink of paranoia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
Even after Park embraced the idea, Shin’s paranoia was difficult to shake: he had sold out his own mother; why shouldn’t Park sell him out?
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
It’s an uncanny combination of paranoias and legitimate concerns, but it’s undeniably working.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2020
One such illusion is that increasing racial proximity by integrating schools and housing is a good way to break down racial animosities and paranoias.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2020
Kwak explores the nature of plastics — how they can convey both ideas of flexibility and paranoias about contamination — in a solo exhibition that also dwells on queerness and the body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2020
YG’s present-day concerns and paranoias revitalized the heavy legacy of West Coast hip-hop, and the album became a contemporary classic, if there can be such a thing.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 13, 2018
I remembered the walls made of grain sacks and ammunition boxes, of my father’s fears and paranoias, his scriptures and prophecies.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
