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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.

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

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2022

In his book, "Acts of God," Steinberg explains how mid-20th century farmers who were worried about harm to their crops from cloud-seeding experiments were dismissed as crackpots suffering from a "persecution complex."

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2021

But the persecution complex is off the charts.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 3, 2021

He has been in the cross hairs of so many investigations over so many accusations over so many years that he has adopted the resentment and persecution complex of a serial defendant.

From New York Times • Jun. 16, 2020

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