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
The series’ first real twist is that the paranoid conspiracy Rachel imagines is in fact a bait-and-switch for what’s going on here.
—
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Three people told the Washington Examiner that Scott had become paranoid that Lewandowski was spying on him through his work phone and had bugged his office.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
OpenAI is battling more than a dozen different death and harm suits, including one centered on a tragic murder-suicide allegedly spurred by ChatGPT reinforcing an unstable man’s paranoid delusions.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Dark, eerie, and paranoid (for good reason), the eight-episode season shifts back and forth from the casual grimness of an unwelcoming reality to the shocking frights of a stoner’s worst nightmare (the latter of which is shrewdly motivated by Rachel regularly smoking pot).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
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Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
Three people told the Washington Examiner that Scott had become paranoid that Lewandowski was spying on him through his work phone and had bugged his office.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
OpenAI is battling more than a dozen different death and harm suits, including one centered on a tragic murder-suicide allegedly spurred by ChatGPT reinforcing an unstable man’s paranoid delusions.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
Dark, eerie, and paranoid (for good reason), the eight-episode season shifts back and forth from the casual grimness of an unwelcoming reality to the shocking frights of a stoner’s worst nightmare (the latter of which is shrewdly motivated by Rachel regularly smoking pot).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 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 30 Mar. 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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