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neurasthenia

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

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

Derived 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.

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

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2022

In other words, neurasthenia was thought to be a disease of nerves overstimulated by the pressures of work, leading to fatigue.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2017

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

He paused and for a moment seemed to study his hands, which were riddled with liver spots and trembled at times: Nels suffered from an advancing neurasthenia.

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

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