paranoid
UK[ˈpærənɔɪd]US[ˈpærənɔɪd]
adj
feeling extremely nervous and worried because you believe that other people do not like you or are trying to harm you
adj
suffering from a mental illness that causes you to believe that other people are trying to harm you
n
a person who is paranoid
Morpheme Breakdown
para
noid
para
beside, beyond
noid
resembling, like
Etymology
the word paranoid is a modern formation, entering english in the early 20th century from the psychiatric term 'paranoia'. this term was borrowed from greek 'paranoia', meaning 'madness', itself a compound of 'para-' (beside, beyond, altered) and 'noos' (mind). the literal sense is thus 'a mind beside itself' or 'an altered state of mind'. the english suffix '-oid', derived from greek '-oeidēs', was appended to create the adjective, meaning 'resembling or characteristic of paranoia', which later generalized to describe irrational suspicion and mistrust.
Analysis
Structure: para (beside, beyond) + noid (resembling, like)
para is a prefix from greek meaning 'beside, beyond, altered'. noid is a suffix from greek -oeidēs, meaning 'having the form of, resembling'.
Examples
after the break-in, she became paranoid about security.
his paranoid delusions made him believe his colleagues were plotting against him.
you're just being paranoid; no one is talking about you.