neurotic
1 Americanadjective
noun
-
neurotics
plural
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of neurotic1
First recorded in 1870–75; neur(osis) + -otic
Origin of neurotic2
Explanation
If you call someone neurotic, you are saying she is stressed out. Neurotic can be a psychological term or it can be used more loosely. You may have a neurotic tendency to bite your nails or to pull out your hair. Ouch. The adjective neurotic refers to someone who shows signs of mental disturbance but does not indicate complete psychosis. Neurotic comes from neuro-, from a Greek word for "nerve." It can also describe someone with neurotic behaviors, so you can think of a neurotic as someone who has a particularly bad case of nerves.
Vocabulary lists containing neurotic
Body Parts: Neur ("Nerve")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the peak of his early success, Turturro could have made a comfortable living playing neurotic oddballs and angry loose cannons in big studio movies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Vocelle finds criticism that cat dads are seen as feminine, neurotic or less desirable as a relatively modern and unfounded affliction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Psychiatrists described him as neurotic, with a tendency to ruminate and worry, and said he had developed a "rigid sense of right and wrong".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Perilous altitude, open hostility, and two of the most neurotic fan bases in soccer have turned Sunday’s game at the Estadio Azteca into an electric, tournament-defining matchup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
If the queen were smarter, she would probably be hopelessly neurotic.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
For all his virtuosity, Wallace specialized in erudite neurotics from Middle America who suffer from various degrees of mental illness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2022
They attack the very shelter nature had given them, something neurotics of all animal classes can relate to.
From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2017
This is, after all, a family of neurotics whose relatively easy lives are ruled by vague dissatisfaction.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2016
All quarterbacks are neurotics on that score, and equipment managers would feel obliged to please.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 30, 2015
Dora had handled plenty of neurotics in her time.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
