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
Chris Moltisanti flipped right before his death As Tony's crew and friend circle starts to shrink as the show goes on, our panic attack-prone paisan becomes increasingly paranoid and scrambles to find a successor.
—
Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
There’s moments where the audience does question her, but Rachel is ultimately a reliable narrator in the story, albeit the most paranoid and dysfunctional one.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Coffin diagnosed Murekezi with stimulant use disorder and schizoaffective disorder, which can include delusional and paranoid thoughts and auditory and visual hallucinations.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 8 June 2026
Like with Saenz, the no-contact order hinged on the evaluation of a psychologist, who testified that Michelle was angry and paranoid and might endanger their son in her pursuit of revenge against his father, according to court filings.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
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.
Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
There’s moments where the audience does question her, but Rachel is ultimately a reliable narrator in the story, albeit the most paranoid and dysfunctional one.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
Coffin diagnosed Murekezi with stimulant use disorder and schizoaffective disorder, which can include delusional and paranoid thoughts and auditory and visual hallucinations.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 8 June 2026
Like with Saenz, the no-contact order hinged on the evaluation of a psychologist, who testified that Michelle was angry and paranoid and might endanger their son in her pursuit of revenge against his father, according to court filings.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 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 14 Jun. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
