paranoid
/ˈpær.ə.nɔɪd/ (UK) · /ˈper.ə.nɔɪd/ (US)
paranoid — adjective
- paranoidpositive
- more paranoidcomparative
- most paranoidsuperlative
1. unreasonably worried that people are secretly criticising you or intend to cause
unreasonably worried that people are secretly criticising you or intend to cause you trouble, even though there is nothing to support this fear.
Yasmin grew paranoid when colleagues stopped inviting her — they were just busy with a project.
paranoid + that-clause (implied belief about others)
The manager grew paranoid about staff stealing supplies, but an audit showed nothing was missing.
paranoid + about [gerund/noun]
After the break-in, our neighbor installed cameras all over his house because he felt paranoid.
Vikram admitted he was being paranoid about his landlord's visits — the apartment was fine.
Stop being so paranoid — nobody is spreading rumours about you behind your back.
- suspicious
less intense; suggests doubt rather than full-blown irrational fear
- distrustful
focuses on lack of trust rather than fear of harm
- anxious
broader; can describe general worry without the element of perceived persecution
文法句型
paranoid + about + noun/gerund
paranoid + that-clause
用法筆記
Often used in everyday conversation to describe excessive worry that the speaker considers irrational. The that-clause structure ('paranoid that...') is the most common pattern in informal speech. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes normal-range anxiety rather than a diagnosed medical condition.
常見錯誤
2. experiencing a diagnosable psychiatric condition involving fixed, false convicti
experiencing a diagnosable psychiatric condition involving fixed, false convictions that others are conspiring against you, spying on you, or intend to injure you — beliefs that stay firm even when facts prove otherwise.
The patient was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and received daily treatment at the clinic.
collocation: 'diagnosed with paranoid [condition]' (medical register)
Chidi believed people were poisoning his food — a paranoid delusion his therapist treated.
Yuki's family urged her to see a psychiatrist when paranoid thinking disrupted her daily life.
The psychiatric team helped Anthony see his paranoid beliefs as symptoms of an illness.
- delusional
broader: can describe false beliefs that are not specifically about persecution
- psychotic
more severe; describes a break from reality, not limited to persecutory beliefs
文法句型
paranoid + that-clause
diagnosed as paranoid [condition]
用法筆記
This is a formal, clinical sense. Avoid using it casually or as an exaggeration — reserve it for contexts involving actual psychiatric diagnosis. The noun form 'paranoia' (uncountable) is the underlying condition name; 'paranoid' describes someone affected by it.