delirium
noun
de·lir·i·um
di-ˈlir-ē-əm 
1
: an acute (see acute sense 1a(2)) mental disturbance characterized by confused thinking and disrupted attention usually accompanied by disordered speech and hallucinations
2
: frenzied excitement
… he would stride about his room in a delirium of joy.—
Thomas Wolfe
Thomas Wolfea crowd in a state of delirium
Examples of delirium in a Sentence
In her delirium, nothing she said made any sense.
shoppers running around in a delirium the day before Christmas
Recent Examples on the Web
As delirium begins to take hold, Becky comes to realize that Hunter didn't survive her fall, after all.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
This year’s scene saw Reddick fist-pumping through the delirium of his first Daytona 500 win in front of 150,000 fans on the frontstretch for a while.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
After that, Perardi and Youngblood’s relationship slipped into a state of delirium.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Of particular concern for older people is an acute, complex and dangerous condition called delirium, Koepp said.
—Sarah Lapidus, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for delirium
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.
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
This year’s scene saw Reddick fist-pumping through the delirium of his first Daytona 500 win in front of 150,000 fans on the frontstretch for a while.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Feb. 2026
After that, Perardi and Youngblood’s relationship slipped into a state of delirium.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Of particular concern for older people is an acute, complex and dangerous condition called delirium, Koepp said.
—Sarah Lapidus, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for delirium
Cite this Entry
“Delirium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delirium. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
delirium
noun
de·lir·i·um
di-ˈlir-ē-əm
1
: a mental disturbance marked by confusion, disturbed speech, and hallucinations
2
: wild excitement
Medical Definition
delirium
noun
de·lir·i·um
di-ˈlir-ē-əm
: an acute (see acute sense 2b(1)) mental disturbance characterized by confused thinking and disrupted attention usually accompanied by disordered speech and hallucinations
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
