PARANOIAS Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

paranoia

noun

Definition of paranoia

as in anxiety

a feeling that one does not know the whole truth or that someone else is not being truthful Each half of the unhappy couple was constantly wracked with paranoia that the other was cheating.

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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 paranoia Griffith’s paranoia reached a fever pitch after a narrow brush with death in 1891. — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026 There’s also a twitchy paranoia at play, since Ethan and Ivy, as outsiders, inevitably spark a turf war as various warring factions try to figure out who is killing their men. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026 The team’s findings, published last week in Nature Communications, reveal that, when given such a drug, rodents suffer adverse reactions similar to the paranoia human cannabis users feel. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026 This causes paranoia and betrayal among his followers, where his sister Winter (Billie Lourd) meets her fate. — Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for paranoia

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paranoia

Noun

Research has also found that across generational groups, greater user tendency to engage in social comparison, together with greater maladaptive ways of coping with emotions, is associated with more symptoms of anger, anxiety, and depression.

— Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
The market for profiting off male body anxiety is nothing new.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxiety

Noun

Russia has not taken responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion has fallen on Moscow.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
But under the weight of those allegations, state officials say the once-collaborative rapport between the federal government and state leaders has in some cases given way to a deep sense of suspicion.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of suspicion

Noun

And beneath all this grief, all this disbelief, all this unbearable heartache, is the simplest, most devastating truth.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2026
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Tiffany’s daughters spoke of their grief and disbelief.

— Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of disbelief

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paranoia

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“Paranoia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paranoia. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of paranoia

noun

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