delirium
C1Formal / Medical / Literary
Definition
Meaning
A state of severe mental confusion characterized by incoherent speech, hallucinations, and inability to focus, often caused by illness, fever, or intoxication.
A state of wild excitement or ecstasy; a frenzied, uncontrolled emotional state.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
In medical contexts, it refers to a specific acute neuropsychiatric syndrome. In general/literary contexts, it describes extreme excitement or irrationality.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. 'Delirium tremens' (DTs) is the standard term for alcohol withdrawal delirium in both.
Connotations
Medical and severe in both varieties; the literary extension is equally understood.
Frequency
Comparable frequency in medical/formal contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
suffer from deliriumplunge into deliriumemerge from deliriumdelirium caused by [noun]delirium of [emotion, e.g., joy, fear]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “delirium of joy”
- “delirium tremens”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rarely used; potential metaphor: 'The market's delirium led to irrational investments.'
Academic
Common in medical, psychiatric, and historical literature (e.g., 'wartime delirium').
Everyday
Used hyperbolically: 'The crowd was in a state of delirium after the goal.'
Technical
Defined clinical condition (DSM-5/ICD-11) with specific diagnostic criteria.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The fever caused him to deliriously mutter about his childhood.
American English
- He was deliriating from the medication's side effects.
adverb
British English
- He laughed deliriously, overcome by the absurdity of the situation.
American English
- She spoke deliriously fast, her thoughts racing ahead of her words.
adjective
British English
- She was delirious with relief when her son was found safe.
American English
- The team's delirious fans celebrated late into the night.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The high fever put him into a state of delirium.
- After the surgery, she experienced brief delirium but recovered fully.
- The delirium induced by the tropical disease was characterized by vivid, terrifying hallucinations.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a DEliRIous person in a hospital, shouting 'DE-LIRIUM!' in confusion.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MIND IS A CLEAR SKY (delirium is a storm clouding it). MENTAL STABILITY IS A STRAIGHT PATH (delirium is wandering off it).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct association with 'delirium' as just 'delirium tremens' (белая горячка). It's broader in English.
- Not synonymous with 'delirium' meaning rave or delight (восторг) without the confusion aspect.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'delirium' for simple tired confusion (use 'drowsiness' instead).
- Confusing 'delirium' (acute, fluctuating) with 'dementia' (chronic, progressive).
Practice
Quiz
Which of these is NOT a typical characteristic of medical delirium?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. In its core medical sense, it means severe confusion. It can be used informally to mean 'wild excitement' (e.g., 'delirium of joy'), but this implies a loss of rational control.
Delirium is a state of agitated confusion and altered consciousness. A coma is a state of deep unconsciousness where the person cannot be aroused and does not respond.
No, the adjective form is 'delirious'. 'Delirium' is a noun.
It is a specific, severe form of delirium caused by alcohol withdrawal, characterized by tremor, anxiety, and hallucinations.
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