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
According to the Times, Patrick opposed the divorce and said in court records that Nancy was paranoid.
—
Jason Green, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025
Ghetto Pat now goes by Bob, who is less a dutiful parent to 16-year old Willa (Chase Infiniti) and more a frustrating and paranoid obstacle in her small-town California life.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
The series presents a paranoid twist on the signature style of Robinson and Kanin, led by Robinson as Ron Trosper, a suburban husband and father spearheading a mall project in Canton, Ohio, after a big promotion at a property developer.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2025
Spillner was allegedly coming over to Mills’ house to cut her dogs’ hair before the two women smoked marijuana and, according to Mills, both became paranoid.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
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Jason Green, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025
Ghetto Pat now goes by Bob, who is less a dutiful parent to 16-year old Willa (Chase Infiniti) and more a frustrating and paranoid obstacle in her small-town California life.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
The series presents a paranoid twist on the signature style of Robinson and Kanin, led by Robinson as Ron Trosper, a suburban husband and father spearheading a mall project in Canton, Ohio, after a big promotion at a property developer.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 2025
Spillner was allegedly coming over to Mills’ house to cut her dogs’ hair before the two women smoked marijuana and, according to Mills, both became paranoid.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
Cite this Entry
“Paranoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paranoid. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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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