persecution complex

British

noun

psychol an acute irrational fear that other people are plotting one's downfall and that they are responsible for one's failures

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

You'll notice that his persecution complex was in full effect even then, as he whines to Walters that nobody's ever been treated as unfairly as he has been.

From Salon • Mar. 18, 2024

He has a weirdly unbalanced persecution complex about the West.

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2022

Kimble: Someone with a persecution complex needs an opponent — they need to be oppressed by something.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2022

But the persecution complex is off the charts.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 3, 2021

Quang-ha has a real persecution complex, which is no doubt legitimate.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023