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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Recent Examples of paranoia
The story of The Washington Post’s risky investigation into the Watergate scandal is the weakest film in the Alan Pakula’s paranoia trilogy.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
And for as cautious as pressured coyotes can be, the presence of wolves only increases their paranoia.
—David Zeug, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Curt Taras, who was 53 at the time of his arrest last fall, has been receiving care at a Veterans Administration facility in Oregon for what his lawyers said was an acute mental health episode that led him in a state of paranoia to the high school.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 31 Jan. 2026
As far as Garland’s projects go, Devs comes closest to matching the paranoia and droning anxiety of the multi-hyphenate’s literary work.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoia
James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
And for as cautious as pressured coyotes can be, the presence of wolves only increases their paranoia.
—David Zeug, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026
Curt Taras, who was 53 at the time of his arrest last fall, has been receiving care at a Veterans Administration facility in Oregon for what his lawyers said was an acute mental health episode that led him in a state of paranoia to the high school.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 31 Jan. 2026
As far as Garland’s projects go, Devs comes closest to matching the paranoia and droning anxiety of the multi-hyphenate’s literary work.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paranoia
Noun
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The dueling anxieties have been brewing for months.—
Jeran Wittenstein,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Remember that meaning can vary widely from person to person—for example, a dog can mean safety and loyalty to one person or fear and anxiety to another.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Melissa Michelson, a political science professor at Menlo College, said the donor list signals concern among wealthy Californians about potential tax increases.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
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These activities, conducted outside normal flight paths near El Paso International Airport, caused FAA concern about possible interference with civilian flights.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Three people were taken into custody, and one was being held on suspicion of murder, Eisenman said.—
Jordan B. Darling,
Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
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Since the racial justice protests of 2020, however, political posting has existed under sustained suspicion as performative.—
Alessandra Schade,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Watch the video above to see Tashia’s joy and disbelief when Chris steps inside!—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
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Schneider watches the games from the owner’s suite, and when things go wrong, Allen turns to him with wide-eyed disbelief that speaks the universal language of a passionate fan.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paranoia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paranoia. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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