delusions of persecution
1
9.1
- noun
- /dɪˈluːʒənz əv pɜrˈsɛkjʊʃən/
- Specialized
:
delirio de persecución
- She suffers from paranoia, delusions of persecution... and dislocation from reality.
Examples
-
He was an unemployed African American man with high anxiety, delusions of persecution, and a fear of all people.
Academic text (2001) -
The usual indicators include depression, anxiety, violent acting out, and delusions of persecution.
Fiction book (1991) -
And now, perhaps delusions of persecution.
-
The usual indicators: depression, anxiety, violent acting out, delusions of persecution.
-
1: a psychosis characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations.
Blog text (21) -
Mrs. Penny is suffering from a paranoid form of dementia praecox, characterized either by delusions of grandeur or delusions of persecution, or both.
-
They will cite mental instability, depression, lack of medication, post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing voices, and delusions of persecution to name a few.
Academic text (2012) -
She expressed her concerns about the neighbors, insisting that they harbored delusions of persecution against her.
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People with delusions of persecution often believe that others are plotting to harm or control them.
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In therapy, he discussed his struggles with delusions of persecution, feeling constantly watched and judged by those around him.
Synonyms
106
8.2
A strong, false fear that other people want to harm or trick you
A false belief that does not change even when shown facts
Antonyms
How Paranoid
Surface Forms
Morphology
delusion + of + persecution
Both constituents are semantically clear: 'delusion' means a false belief and 'persecution' means harsh treatment or being targeted. The preposition 'of' simply links them, so a learner who knows the words can infer this phrase denotes a false belief that one is being persecuted; this compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically. Therefore the meaning is directly derivable from the parts and should be understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Delusions of persecution puts together delusions, which are strong false beliefs, and persecution, meaning being treated badly or attacked. Imagine someone who is sure people are watching, plotting, or wanting to hurt them even when nothing like that is happening, so the phrase means 'a false belief that others are out to harm you'.