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
Sturgis specializes in these kinds of neurotic eccentrics, but his portrayal didn’t help me identify Ru’s secret appeal or believe in the trauma that we later learned occurred when his car broke down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The neurotic self-policing about the supposed rules of engagement has given way to something that looks more like confidence.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
Germany is uniquely neurotic about debt and about unsound money.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
It was typical Mommy neurotic behavior, and I didn’t fully understand it till I learned how far she had truly come.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
What they will find is a brilliant ensemble of self-centered neurotics who somehow manage to be likable, despite their best efforts.
From New York Times ● Nov. 26, 2021
They attack the very shelter nature had given them, something neurotics of all animal classes can relate to.
From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2017
But something unexpected happens: Mendel falls madly in love with Trina, further entangling this skein of classic New York neurotics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 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.
