1
as in agitated
feeling overwhelming fear or worry
we were delirious with anxiety when the boy failed to return home
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frantic
marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity
rushing about in a delirious state during the holidays
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of delirious
Fallen Angels' Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara are heaven-sent in this divine and delirious revival of Noël Coward’s sneakily groundbreaking 1925 play, about a pair of high-society housewives who hatch a plot to hook up with their former lover (Mark Consuelos).
—
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026
And Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022) dropped its kitschy, hip-swiveling subject into a delirious fever dream that at the very least made its messy screenplay interesting.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 24 Apr. 2026
In the summer of 2024, still being treated to keep his cancer at bay, Andrej had suddenly become somewhat delirious, requiring hospital admission to rule out the possibility of infection or, worse, of the cancer having spread to his brain.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
For a wonderful few minutes, the stage of Monmouth University’s Pollack Theater felt like a scene out of a delirious rock and roll fever dream.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for delirious
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026
And Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022) dropped its kitschy, hip-swiveling subject into a delirious fever dream that at the very least made its messy screenplay interesting.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 24 Apr. 2026
In the summer of 2024, still being treated to keep his cancer at bay, Andrej had suddenly become somewhat delirious, requiring hospital admission to rule out the possibility of infection or, worse, of the cancer having spread to his brain.
—Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
For a wonderful few minutes, the stage of Monmouth University’s Pollack Theater felt like a scene out of a delirious rock and roll fever dream.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for delirious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delirious
Adjective
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According to witnesses interviewed by local police, Hall became agitated after taking a significant quantity of drugs.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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Stammen, who for the first time this season was still agitated after the game, asserted that the pitches by Rodrigurez were merely evidence that the Padres were consistently trying to pitch Henderson inside given his power potential.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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As catastrophic flooding inundated parts of Texas Hill Country on July 4, dispatchers received multiple frantic 911 calls from Camp Mystic, a Christian sleepaway camp for girls, describing children gone missing and pleading for helicopters to rescue them.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
6 Dec. 2025
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Passages in which a lower frame rate makes the image jittery portray the frantic rush of emotion that the two are overtaken by now that fate has reunited them.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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In a heartbreaking scene outside the residence, as captured on video by ABC 7, family members are seen wailing and distraught, surrounded by police cars and neighbors.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
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The timeout comes and New York's Josh Hart is distraught.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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After a first round where Steve Garcia seemed to land more punches and Lopes looked hesitant, Lopes won the bout in the second round by knockout, with a furious combination of punches, starting with a right and left hand to Garcia's face.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
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College coaches, administrators and prominent boosters all over the state, and nation, are furious at Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, and Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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New Delhi, which has become increasingly worried about the safety of its seafarers during the US-Israeli war with Iran, has now urged Washington to halt strikes on shipping vessels.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
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Anthropic is also worried that competitors could use Anthropic’s AI systems to turbocharge their own research — Anthropic uses its own AI systems to help create the next generation of its models.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Also keep in mind that blasting noise through your AirPods or speakers may drown out some very important other sounds — like approaching wildlife or mad rattlesnakes.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Democrats are mad at the president, again.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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Sour coffee with cream and rustling umbrellas and frightened tourists, impervious to death.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Dec. 2025
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Deborah Gilmour Smyth leads the Backyard cast as Gladys with an incredible, tour de force performance that begins with joy, laughter and vivaciousness and gradually, over the course of two hours, moves toward frightened, childlike and submissive.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Thanks to more than 200 years of intense and virtuoso scientific work, what were once valid or at least plausible concerns and objections to vaccines have been overcome.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Whether Tuchel will, in fact, be able to produce a more intense high-pressing style this summer, given the climate and the dense schedule, is another matter.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delirious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delirious. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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