paranoia
/ˌpæɹ.əˈnɔɪ.ə/ noun
Forms paranoias paranoiæ paranœa paranoea
- noun (obsolete) A psychotic disorder, now called delusional disorder, often (in one of six subtypes) characterized by delusions of persecution and a perceived threat against the individual affected with the disorder, and often associated with false accusations and a general mistrust of others.
- noun Extreme, irrational distrust of others.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek παράνοια (paránoia, “madness”), from παράνοος (paránoos, “demented”), from παρά (pará, “beyond, beside”) + νόος (nóos, “mind, spirit”).
By surface analysis, para- (“abnormal, beyond”) + nous (“mind”) + -ia (“(medical) condition”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Mental derangement; insanity.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “paranoia”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details