paranoid
adjective
para·noid
ˈper-ə-ˌnȯid 
ˌpa-rə-
variants
or less commonly paranoidal
ˌper-ə-ˈnȯi-dᵊl
ˌpa-rə-
1
: characterized by or resembling paranoia or paranoid schizophrenia
a paranoid psychiatric patient
2
: characterized by suspiciousness, persecutory trends, or megalomania
behaving in a paranoid manner with accusations of persecutions
3
: extremely fearful
was so paranoid that he was afraid to walk the streets
paranoid
noun
Examples of paranoid in a Sentence
I guess I was just being paranoid.
She's a little paranoid about her job.
It's nothing more than a paranoid fantasy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Explanations abounded, many of them paranoid.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
But what Danielson says was intended as a symbolic protest escalated dramatically amid paranoid fantasies, prosaic miscommunications, and the false report of a gun.
—Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
Per the logline, Star City is a propulsive paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race – when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
This could be like Arthur Burns 50 years ago failing to raise rates—in fact, cutting rates to please a sitting, paranoid president.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
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Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
But what Danielson says was intended as a symbolic protest escalated dramatically amid paranoid fantasies, prosaic miscommunications, and the false report of a gun.
—Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
Per the logline, Star City is a propulsive paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race – when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
This could be like Arthur Burns 50 years ago failing to raise rates—in fact, cutting rates to please a sitting, paranoid president.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
Cite this Entry
“Paranoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paranoid. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
paranoid
1 of 2 adjective
para·noid
ˈpar-ə-ˌnȯid
variants
also paranoidal
1
: characterized by or resembling paranoia or paranoid schizophrenia
2
: characterized by suspiciousness, persecutory trends, or megalomania
paranoid
2 of 2 noun
: one affected with paranoia or paranoid schizophrenia
called also paranoiac
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