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neurosis

American  
[noo-roh-sis, nyoo-] / nʊˈroʊ sɪs, nyʊ- /

noun

Psychiatry.

plural

neuroses

  1. Also called psychoneurosis.  a functional disorder in which feelings of anxiety, obsessional thoughts, compulsive acts, and physical complaints without objective evidence of disease, in various degrees and patterns, dominate the personality.

  2. a relatively mild personality disorder typified by excessive anxiety or indecision and a degree of social or interpersonal maladjustment.

neurosis British  
/ njʊˈrəʊsɪs /

noun

  1. Also called: psychoneurosis.  a relatively mild mental disorder, characterized by symptoms such as hysteria, anxiety, depression, or obsessive behaviour

"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
neurosis Scientific  
/ n-rō′sĭs /

  1. A psychological state characterized by excessive anxiety or insecurity without evidence of neurologic or other organic disease, sometimes accompanied by defensive or immature behaviors. This term is no longer used in psychiatric diagnosis.

neurosis Cultural  

  1. A mental disorder marked by anxiety or fear. Neurosis is less severe than psychosis. (See also angst, hysteria, and phobia.)

Discover More

In popular usage, a “neurotic” is anyone who worries a lot.

Etymology

Origin of neurosis

From New Latin, dating back to 1770–80; neur-, -osis

Compare meaning

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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.

We moderns, Mr. Delbourgo argues, have gone from theories of “demonic possession to accusations of superstition, obsession, sexual neurosis, and pathological greed down to the recent invention of the medical term ‘hoarding disorder.’”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

I've just worked on developing better skills to keep myself from talking myself into a place of neurosis.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2025

A victory to flush out any neurosis and compound the belief in their plan.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2024

And if we cannot find a referent for the normal and the good, how can we possibly come back from our national neurosis?

From Slate • Aug. 18, 2024

I'd sit in front of her desk and make troubled-brow faces which I thought illustrated the deep level of neurosis I represented.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Definitions 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.