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
Beginning in 2010, emergency rooms began seeing agitated patients who were violent, paranoid and psychotic after ingesting synthetic cathinones sold as bath salts.
—
Jonathan Corum, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Hitchcock offers a solid condemnation of paranoid English nationalism on the brink of war, all under the guise of a compelling whodunit in one of the director's trademark locations, keeping all suspects in close quarters (and the true killer even closer).
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
Safety awareness hasn’t gone anywhere, but the approach tends to be more strategic, rather than paranoid.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
While there has always been a thriving industry of paranoid books and films, modern conspiracism has avenues of distribution and incentive that Cold War cranks and 19th-century pamphleteers could have only dreamed of.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
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Jonathan Corum, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Hitchcock offers a solid condemnation of paranoid English nationalism on the brink of war, all under the guise of a compelling whodunit in one of the director's trademark locations, keeping all suspects in close quarters (and the true killer even closer).
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026
Safety awareness hasn’t gone anywhere, but the approach tends to be more strategic, rather than paranoid.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
While there has always been a thriving industry of paranoid books and films, modern conspiracism has avenues of distribution and incentive that Cold War cranks and 19th-century pamphleteers could have only dreamed of.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 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 23 Apr. 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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