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
Safety awareness hasn’t gone anywhere, but the approach tends to be more strategic, rather than paranoid.
—
Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
While there has always been a thriving industry of paranoid books and films, modern conspiracism has avenues of distribution and incentive that Cold War cranks and 19th-century pamphleteers could have only dreamed of.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His YouTube page, once an online venue for his songs, was more recently dedicated to paranoid rants about his family members, some centering on his relationship with his grandfather, and others where Valdez displayed bizarre behavior like imitating Nazi soldiers.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2026
The series’ first real twist is that the paranoid conspiracy Rachel imagines is in fact a bait-and-switch for what’s going on here.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
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Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
While there has always been a thriving industry of paranoid books and films, modern conspiracism has avenues of distribution and incentive that Cold War cranks and 19th-century pamphleteers could have only dreamed of.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His YouTube page, once an online venue for his songs, was more recently dedicated to paranoid rants about his family members, some centering on his relationship with his grandfather, and others where Valdez displayed bizarre behavior like imitating Nazi soldiers.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2026
The series’ first real twist is that the paranoid conspiracy Rachel imagines is in fact a bait-and-switch for what’s going on here.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paranoid
Cite this Entry
“Paranoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paranoid. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical 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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