delirious

American  

[dih-leer-ee-uhs] / dɪˈlɪər i əs /

adjective

1. Pathology. affected with or characteristic of delirium.

2. wild with excitement, enthusiasm, etc..

   She was delirious with joy at the news.

   Synonyms:

   ecstatic, excited

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delirious British  

/ dɪˈlɪrɪəs /

adjective

1. affected with delirium

2. wildly excited, esp with joy or enthusiasm

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Other Word Forms

• deliriously adverb
• deliriousness noun
• nondelirious adjective
• nondeliriously adverb
• nondeliriousness noun
• undelirious adjective
• undeliriously adverb

Etymology

Origin of delirious

First recorded in 1590–1600; deliri(um) + -ous

Example Sentences

Then she became delirious, became "really sensitive to light", and stopped making sense, she said.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

But time travel is an imperfect science, and the technician overseeing the process is delirious from a virulent new strain of flu, so Kivrin is accidentally dropped into 1348, the year of the Black Death.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

Another became delirious with hunger, thirst and the cold.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Then, for some unknown reason at the time, Grant ran in the opposite direction, followed by his teammates and delirious Oak Park fans.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2025

High overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

Related Words

• ecstatic
• intoxicated
• mad
• rapturous
• thrilled
• transported