neurotic
1 Americanadjective
noun
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- neurotically adverb
- semineurotically adverb
- unneurotically adverb
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.
Germany is uniquely neurotic about debt and about unsound money.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
“Marty Supreme,” the story of a neurotic table tennis player trying to level up his game, recently became A24’s highest-grossing film at the domestic box office.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Sometimes his neurotic, navel-gazing side gets the better of his artistry, as was the case at his concert at the Greek Theatre in the summer of 2024.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025
And while Jerry’s perfectionism had a toll on their creative process, it also fueled it, making way for more neurotic characters that Anne could play straight against.
From Salon • Oct. 18, 2025
Ambitious people, mannered people, neurotic people, high-society people—the kind of people who make life in the city so interesting—became unbearable to me.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
