Meaning & use

paranoid

adjective·Everyday

Feeling unreasonably anxious or suspicious that others intend to harm or deceive you.

See it in a sentence

He got paranoid whenever his phone battery dropped below twenty percent.

The novel's narrator grows increasingly paranoid that his neighbors are watching him.

A note on using this word

Informally used loosely for everyday worry; clinically it describes an unfounded, persistent suspicion.

Words with a similar meaning

suspiciousdistrustful

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “paranoid”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.