paranoia
Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission.
baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.
Origin of paranoia
1- Also Archaic, par·a·noe·a [par-uh-nee-uh] /ˌpær əˈni ə/ .
Words Nearby paranoia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use paranoia in a sentence
What's new, in a state that has employed all-mail voting since 2014, is paranoia about the count and results.
That anxiety runs deep, even if the historical data doesn’t quite back up the paranoia.
This year’s ‘October surprise’ could impact your portfolio for years to come | Bernhard Warner | October 11, 2020 | FortuneGhost tours capitalize on this hereditary paranoia by forcing the mind to wrestle with ambiguity.
The Red Scare injected paranoia into American culture, inducing a paralyzing dread at the prospect of Communist infiltration.
Following a Joe Rogan podcast appearance a few years back where McInnes talked of the Proud Boys as a gang and dropped the above “I want violence” line, there were dark murmurings and paranoia that the group had started to appear on the FBI’s radar.
Such was the corrosive paranoia of the time, fueled by McCarthy and abetted by Hoover.
Against this paranoia of recent history, Frank takes the long view that all disasters and destruction are natural.
Richard Ford’s Artful Survivalist Guide: The Return of Frank Bascombe | Tom LeClair | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut fear of something that is not actually a threat is not rightful fear, but rather paranoia.
Ebola, ISIS, the Border: So Much to Fear, So Little Time! | Gene Robinson | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThose who dream of a post-partisan future should note that paranoia has a habit of erasing traditional political boundaries.
From ISIS to Ebola, What Has Made Naomi Wolf So Paranoid? | Michael Moynihan | October 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat, in the absence of an explanation as to why, paranoia takes over.
paranoia, as it is called, mild delusional insanity, may assert itself and then may persist for the rest of life.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyThe most significant consideration with regard to paranoia is the fact that it is practically always hereditary.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyAfter the persecutory stage in paranoia, comes the third, or so-called expansive period of the disease.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyThere are usually three stages of paranoia described by authorities in mental diseases.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyKrafft-Ebing said that he never saw a case of true and reasonably well developed paranoia without hereditary taint.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin Malley
British Dictionary definitions for paranoia
/ (ˌpærəˈnɔɪə) /
a form of schizophrenia characterized by a slowly progressive deterioration of the personality, involving delusions and often hallucinations
a mental disorder characterized by any of several types of delusions, in which the personality otherwise remains relatively intact
informal intense fear or suspicion, esp when unfounded
Origin of paranoia
1Derived forms of paranoia
- paranoiac (ˌpærəˈnɔɪɪk) or paranoic (ˌpærəˈnəʊɪk), adjective, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for paranoia
[ (par-uh-noy-uh) ]
Notes for paranoia
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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