paranoia
UK[ˌpærəˈnɔɪə]US[ˌperəˈnɔɪə]
n
A serious mental illness in which a person wrongly believes that other people are trying to harm them, or that they are very important.
n
An unreasonable feeling that other people are trying to harm you, do not like you, etc., or that something bad is going to happen.
Morpheme Breakdown
para
noia
para
beside, disordered
noia
mind, thought
Etymology
The word 'paranoia' is a direct borrowing from the Greek 'paranoia,' meaning "madness" or "derangement." It is formed from the combination of 'para-' (here indicating a deviation or disturbance) and 'nous' (mind). In ancient Greek medical and philosophical contexts, it described a state of mind that was beside or beyond reason. This literal sense of a "disordered mind" evolved through psychiatric terminology in the 19th century to specify a condition characterized by systematized delusions, particularly of persecution or grandeur, before broadening into its current, more general usage for irrational suspicion and mistrust.
Analysis
Structure: para (beside, disordered) + noia (mind, thought)
'para' is a Greek prefix meaning "beside, beyond, altered, or disordered." 'noia' is from the Greek 'noos' or 'nous,' meaning "mind, thought, intellect."
Examples
The dictator's increasing paranoia led to the imprisonment of his closest advisors.
She was diagnosed with clinical paranoia, believing her neighbors were spying on her.
There's a degree of paranoia in the industry about new competitors entering the market.