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paranoia

noun

  1. thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality
L311788 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˌpæɹ.əˈnɔɪ.ə/ / /ˌpɛɹ.əˈnɔɪ.ə/

noun

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”).

  1. 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.
  2. Extreme, irrational distrust of others.