delirious

adjective

de·​lir·​i·​ous di-ˈlir-ē-əs How to pronounce delirious (audio)
Synonyms of delirious
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of delirium
delirious mutterings
2
: affected with or marked by delirium
delirious with fever
delirious fans
deliriously adverb
deliriousness noun

Examples of delirious in a Sentence

As the child's temperature went up, he became delirious and didn't know where he was. He was delirious with fever. a group of delirious fans celebrating the team's victory
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is less a movie about two Midwestern women traveling to Florida than a delirious fever dream about two Midwestern women traveling to Florida. ABC News, 6 May 2026 Fallen Angels' Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara are heaven-sent in this divine and delirious revival of Noël Coward’s sneakily groundbreaking 1925 play, about a pair of high-society housewives who hatch a plot to hook up with their former lover (Mark Consuelos). Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026 Some of the outfits seem to confer the power of flight, though that illusion is fostered by the delirious energy of human forms liberated from conformity. Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026 And Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022) dropped its kitschy, hip-swiveling subject into a delirious fever dream that at the very least made its messy screenplay interesting. Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for delirious

Word History

Etymology

see delirium

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of delirious was in 1599

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delirious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delirious. Accessed 11 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

delirious

adjective
de·​lir·​i·​ous di-ˈlir-ē-əs How to pronounce delirious (audio)
1
: affected with, marked by, or characteristic of delirium
2
: wildly excited
delirious fans
deliriously adverb
deliriousness noun

Medical Definition

delirious

adjective
de·​lir·​i·​ous di-ˈlir-ē-əs How to pronounce delirious (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of delirium
2
: affected with or marked by delirium
deliriously adverb

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