paranoia

noun/ˌpærəˈnɔɪə/

Frequency rank: #8,413 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

an irrational and persistent feeling that one is being persecuted or that others have hostile intentions toward oneself.

Illustration for the English word “paranoia”

Example sentence

After weeks of isolation, he began to experience paranoia and suspected everyone around him of plotting against him.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 8,401–8,500