PARANOIAS Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

paranoia

noun

Definition of paranoia

as in anxiety

a feeling that one does not know the whole truth or that someone else is not being truthful Each half of the unhappy couple was constantly wracked with paranoia that the other was cheating.

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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.

Recent Examples of paranoia Meanwhile, a sense of paranoia grows as police interest represents a constant threat. — Will Tizard, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026 Those impulses may have been shaped not by paranoia, but by evolution, as a way of staving off sickness in an uncertain world. — Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026 Impossible than to the hermetic paranoia of Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 Unsurprisingly, after the murders, his paranoia ramped up exponentially. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paranoia

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paranoia

Noun

Research has also found that across generational groups, greater user tendency to engage in social comparison, together with greater maladaptive ways of coping with emotions, is associated with more symptoms of anger, anxiety, and depression.

— Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
The market for profiting off male body anxiety is nothing new.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxiety

Noun

The swelling majorities, with some races still too early to call, underlined a deep sense of voter anger and concern over the economy and the state of democracy.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026
The projects drew opposition over concerns about water consumption, electricity costs, and environmental protections.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of concern

Noun

Dmitriy Mazurov plays successful company director Gleb, whose seemingly perfect life starts to unravel, not due to the conflict, however, but rather his suspicions that his wife (Iris Lebedeva) is having an affair.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026
Carlos’s rich, image-conscious father orders him to return to the casino the next day and refute the suspicions.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of suspicion

Noun

Vanderbilt looked at referees in disbelief when he was called for a flop.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Jonah investigates without actually being employed by the police, and a few other preposterous scenes will undoubtedly force viewers to suspend disbelief.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of disbelief

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paranoia

paranoiac

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“Paranoia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paranoia. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of paranoia

noun

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