paranoia
nounUK /ˌpær.əˈnɔɪ.ə/
US /ˌper.əˈnɔɪ.ə/
A feeling that other people are trying to hurt you or are watching you, even when they are not.
After watching the scary movie, he felt a moment of paranoia and kept checking behind him.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In medicine, a mental condition in which a person wrongly believes that others want to harm them.
The doctor explained that paranoia can be a symptom of certain illnesses.
3. An unreasonable feeling that people are talking about you or plotting against you.
Her paranoia made her think her coworkers were whispering about her.
4. A general tendency to be extremely suspicious of others' motives.
His paranoia kept him from trusting even his closest friends.