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
Dorsey entered an insanity defense during the trial, with his attorney saying that on the day of the shooting, Dorsey was depressed, paranoid and dealing with significant life changes.
—
Jade Thomas, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Pecker was always paranoid about leaks and had paid this investigator’s firm to do sweeps of A.M.I.’s office looking for listening devices.
—Lachlan Cartwright, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Thankfully, there’s also a consensus that Delta 8 reduces the paranoid or anxious response that some people have when consuming Delta 9 THC.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Customers have become frustrated by the false positives and over-reporting from paranoid security tools that alert on theoretical risks.
—Justin Warren, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The message pressed every button on England’s paranoid fringes: an insinuation of support for Hamas, an apparent denigration of British history and memory by a Muslim left-winger, and a sense of backroom deals being done.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024
In the ensuing power struggle, paranoid traffickers turn on close associates and inflict ever more grotesque forms of violence on their enemies, and on civilians.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Some paranoid bosses have turned to keyboard tracking devices to gauge productivity, as the New York Times reported that J.P. Morgan, Barclays, and UnitedHealth Group all use said software.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
In addition to staying paranoid (remember Andy Grove’s Intel?), the lessons from the 80-year history of AI may also help guide Nvidia through the ups and downs of the next thirty days or thirty years.
—Gil Press, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
Jade Thomas, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Pecker was always paranoid about leaks and had paid this investigator’s firm to do sweeps of A.M.I.’s office looking for listening devices.
—Lachlan Cartwright, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Thankfully, there’s also a consensus that Delta 8 reduces the paranoid or anxious response that some people have when consuming Delta 9 THC.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Customers have become frustrated by the false positives and over-reporting from paranoid security tools that alert on theoretical risks.
—Justin Warren, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The message pressed every button on England’s paranoid fringes: an insinuation of support for Hamas, an apparent denigration of British history and memory by a Muslim left-winger, and a sense of backroom deals being done.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024
In the ensuing power struggle, paranoid traffickers turn on close associates and inflict ever more grotesque forms of violence on their enemies, and on civilians.
—Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Some paranoid bosses have turned to keyboard tracking devices to gauge productivity, as the New York Times reported that J.P. Morgan, Barclays, and UnitedHealth Group all use said software.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
In addition to staying paranoid (remember Andy Grove’s Intel?), the lessons from the 80-year history of AI may also help guide Nvidia through the ups and downs of the next thirty days or thirty years.
—Gil Press, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paranoid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing paranoid
Dictionary Entries Near paranoid
Cite this Entry
“Paranoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paranoid. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
paranoid
1 of 2 adjective
para·noid
ˈpar-ə-ˌnȯid
1
: resembling paranoia
2
: marked especially by suspiciousness, distrust, and feelings of persecution
3
: extremely fearful
grew paranoid about losing her job
paranoid
2 of 2 noun
: one who is paranoid
Medical 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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