variants
also paranoidal
as in worried
having extreme or unreasonable fear or suspicion
He was paranoid about break-ins and insisted on checking the locks himself every night.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paranoid
For a long stretch of its opening act, All the President’s Men—the canonical paranoid thriller from 1976—isn’t just about the brewing Watergate scandal, or about the battle between a cagey political machine and an enterprising newspaper.
—
K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
At the same time, paranoid individuals may fixate on details.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Occasionally held back by a very mid-'00s aesthetic and stylistic choices that come across second-rate David Lynch, No Smoking is nonetheless an effectively paranoid adaptation of King for another culture.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The threat is enough to make Cherry paranoid.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
At the same time, paranoid individuals may fixate on details.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Occasionally held back by a very mid-'00s aesthetic and stylistic choices that come across second-rate David Lynch, No Smoking is nonetheless an effectively paranoid adaptation of King for another culture.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
The threat is enough to make Cherry paranoid.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paranoid
Adjective
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The man, a legal researcher who lives legally in the United States, is worried he might be targeted by the federal government for speaking freely.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
-
As the day progressed though, Marsh became worried again.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the preview, a mischievous group of young diplodocus splash in the water around a pair of kayaking guests, while other juveniles like the triceratops are more cautious in nature, choosing to stick close to their parents.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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The Dodgers are being cautious.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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These treatments require careful and ongoing monitoring.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Still, Israelis and Palestinians are skeptical; large majorities of both doubt there will be permanent peace, new Gallup polling found.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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But experts remain skeptical about Martínez’s theory of a burial connected to Taposiris Magna.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Now, Darvish will get to pitch in front of a stadium of screaming, hopeful, nervous Cubs fans.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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If presidents are stars on the stage of world history, vice presidents are nervous understudies hidden away behind the scenes.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paranoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paranoid. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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