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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

But unhappy at Oxford, facing financial pressures and plagued by nightmares, tears and constant twitching caused by what was then known as neurasthenia, or shell shock, he decided to leave England for good.

From New York Times Jul. 3, 2015

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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