paranoid

adjective

variants also paranoidal
Definition of paranoidnext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paranoid These women can become depressed, isolated, paranoid — convinced their thinning hair is all other people see. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026 Musgrove testified that around Christmastime and into January, her daughter had lost weight and become paranoid. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 But Musgrove said Clancy lost a lot of weight during that time, struggled with her memory and became paranoid about illogical things. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 By prioritizing the female characters’ perspective, Bound becomes a stylish subversion of film noir conventions, allowing the women at the center to exploit the paranoid masculine posturing of the crime-movie world for personal gain. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paranoid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paranoid
  1. worried
  2. cautious
  3. careful
  4. skeptical
  5. nervous
Adjective
  • When Republican lawmakers secured cuts to the United States' largest food assistance program last year, Paige Shoemaker DeMio wasn't worried about children going hungry just at home — but at school.
    — Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Mattfeld is excellent in what could easily have been a thankless role, playing Ricky with the mien of someone who is always holding it together, years of disappointment and condescension and expectation keeping her eyes worried and jaw tight.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • Florida’s Republican gubernatorial ticket is defying historic trends for a political party traditionally known for elevating white men to leadership positions — even as the GOP remains cautious about drawing attention to the shift.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Bindi, a young female wallaby, is inquisitive and extremely curious, while Wally, a young male wallaby, is more cautious and likes to look at things from afar, Borozenets said.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • Getting to that point required careful control of stress during fabrication.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Huntsinger, playing along with Variety’s should-win/will-win Emmy prediction game, drew a careful line.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • And given their preference for rocky environments over sandy lagoons and the crabs’ reproductive prowess, fishermen and experts alike are skeptical.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The early sales reps who thrived on instinct and relationships start selling into a market that’s crowded, educated and skeptical.
    — Doug May, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of skeptical
Adjective
  • The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
  • That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of nervous

Browse Nearby Words

paranoiac
paranoid
paranormal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Paranoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paranoid. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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