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Definition of paranoia
1 : mental illness characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations Psychotic symptoms and paranoia persisted, and she continued to “find clues” of conspiracy against her. — Helen K. Delichatsios et al.
2 : a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others The members of America's racist right inhabit a murky world of conspiracy, suspicion, and paranoia. — Wayne King
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Examples of paranoia in a Sentence
She was diagnosed with delusional paranoia.
I had to admit that my fears were just paranoia.
Recent Examples of paranoia from the Web
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Christian's delight in pushing social boundaries is the mark of a predator, Navarro said, and his explosive rants at other cultures are evidence of paranoia.
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The two former presidents Trump is most often compared to are Reagan (for the unserious image that Reagan had as a B-list movie actor) and Richard Nixon (for his authoritarian tendencies, his paranoia, and his antipathy toward the press).
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Spears' wife and brother testified earlier in the day Thursday about his increasing paranoia.
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Writer-director-palindrome Tim Smit, an effects guy making his feature debut, has a germ of an idea for a nifty chase scenario that mixes paranoia, parallel-world fizziness and apocalyptic action.
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Normalizing extremism, paranoia, and hatred damages a society’s social and political fabric.
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His mother, Nikki, told The Star in February that Zack also had memory loss, depression and paranoia.
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The order was in the wake of the United States entering the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor and paranoia about Japanese infiltrators was at its peak.
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Gonzales is described as being depressed and may be suffering from paranoia, police said.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paranoia'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of paranoia
New Latin, from Greek, madness, from paranous demented, from para- + nous mind
Other Psychology Terms
PARANOIA Defined for English Language Learners
paranoia
playDefinition of paranoia for English Language Learners
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medical : a serious mental illness that causes you to falsely believe that other people are trying to harm you
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: an unreasonable feeling that people are trying to harm you, do not like you, etc.
Medical Dictionary
paranoia
playMedical Definition of paranoia
1: a psychosis characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations
2: a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
Learn More about paranoia
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Spanish Central: Translation of paranoia Nglish: Translation of paranoia for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of paranoia for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about paranoia
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