paranoid
Colloquially, excessively distrustful and suspicious of others without any real reason.
EXAMPLE
Sei nicht so paranoid, niemand liest deine E-Mails mit.
Don't be so paranoid; nobody is reading your emails.
paranoid
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Meanings
paranoid
In a mental state characterized by delusions, especially delusions of persecution; suffering from paranoia.
EXAMPLE
Der Patient war paranoid und glaubte, dass man ihn vergiften wolle.
The patient was paranoid and believed that people wanted to poison him.
Usage tips
Context clue
The meaning depends heavily on the context. In everyday language, 'paranoid' describes exaggerated distrust. In a medical or psychological context, it refers to a serious mental disorder.
EXAMPLE
Er ist total paranoid und denkt, alle reden hinter seinem Rücken über ihn.
He is totally paranoid and thinks everyone is talking about him behind his back.
Colloquial usage
In colloquial language, 'paranoid' is often used as an exaggeration to describe someone who worries without reason or is suspicious. It is often intensified with adverbs like 'total' (totally) or 'komplett' (completely).
EXAMPLE
Du musst nicht gleich paranoid werden, nur weil dein Chef dich kurz angesehen hat.
You don't have to get paranoid just because your boss looked at you briefly.
Medical context
In the clinical sense, 'paranoid' is a technical term. You often find it in combination with other technical terms such as 'paranoide Schizophrenie' (paranoid schizophrenia) or 'paranoide Wahnvorstellungen' (paranoid delusions).
EXAMPLE
Menschen mit einer paranoiden Persönlichkeitsstörung haben ein tiefes Misstrauen gegenüber anderen.
People with a paranoid personality disorder have a deep distrust of others.
Compare with
paranoid vs misstrauisch
suspicious
Misstrauisch and paranoid can both express doubts about other people. Misstrauisch generally means not trusting someone or something and may be based on a reasonable cause. Paranoid is used colloquially to describe excessive distrust without any real reason and is therefore considerably stronger.
paranoid
Obwohl alle Antworten schlüssig waren, wurde sie paranoid und vermutete eine Lüge.
Although all the answers were coherent, she became paranoid and suspected a lie.
misstrauisch
Nach mehreren widersprüchlichen Antworten wurde sie misstrauisch.
After several contradictory answers, she became suspicious.
In real life
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