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Showing results for neurasthenia. Search instead for genus lasthenia.
Synonyms

neurasthenia

American  
[noor-uhs-thee-nee-uh, nyoor-] / ˌnʊər əsˈθi ni ə, ˌnjʊər- /

noun

  1. Psychiatry. (not in technical use) nervous debility and exhaustion occurring in the absence of objective causes or lesions; nervous exhaustion.


neurasthenia British  
/ ˌnjʊərəsˈθɛnɪk, ˌnjʊərəsˈθiːnɪə /

noun

  1. an obsolete technical term for a neurosis characterized by extreme lassitude and inability to cope with any but the most trivial tasks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of neurasthenia

First recorded in 1855–60; neur- + asthenia

Vocabulary lists containing neurasthenia

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:

In the 19th century, the analog to burnout was neurasthenia.

From Salon Jan. 10, 2022

Stranger still were the medical ads that offered electric shock treatment to "cure" neurasthenia - a term encompassing a range of nervous complaints including shell shock.

From BBC Dec. 9, 2014

"But with Wagner, the danger became specifically associated with modern music and modern urban lifestyles in diagnosing the fashionable disease of the time, neurasthenia."

From The Guardian May 22, 2013

The 19th-century philosopher William James reportedly called neurasthenia, from which he claimed to suffer himself, “Americanitis,” in part the result of the accelerating pace of American life.

From New York Times May 31, 2010

Another loss: his eyes provided him with only half a view of the world, and reading caused his neurasthenia to flare up and made his temples throb.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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