Synonyms for delirium
Most common
madness fury frenzy hallucination intoxication incoherence phrensy
All synonyms
Noun
1. Madness
madness, frenzy, hallucination, fury, insanity, hysteria, wandering, raving, distraction, craze, mania, aberration
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
A temporary mental state with a sudden onset, usually reversible, including symptoms of confusion, inability to concentrate, disorientation, anxiety, and sometimes hallucinations. Causes can include dehydration, drug intoxication, and severe infection.
Related words
- Word family
- deliriant delirifacient delirious
- Phrases
- nocturnal delirium agitated delirium excited delirium
Forms
- Plural
- deliriums → madnesses, frenzies, hallucinations, furies…
Choose the right word
Delirium is always temporary, and is specifically the insanity of disease, as in acute fevers.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- madness Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.
- fury It was time for the Numidians to vent their fury.
- frenzy There was no cowing him when the frenzy was on him.
- hallucination Pietro brushed that aside as a hallucination.
- intoxication Buddhism forbids intoxication, and Judaism discourages it.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| delirium | rising | |
| madness | rising | |
| fury | rising | |
| frenzy | rising | |
| hallucination | rising | |
| intoxication | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- fury2
- 5 letters
- craze1, mania3
- 6 letters
- frenzy2, raving2
- 7 letters
- madness2, phrensy
- 8 letters
- insanity4, hysteria4
- 9 letters
- wandering3
- 10 letters
- aberration4
- 11 letters
- distraction3, incoherence4
- 12 letters
- intoxication5
- 13 letters
- hallucination5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (fury2 = 2 syllables).