neurotic
1 Americanadjective
noun
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Psychiatrists described him as neurotic, with a tendency to ruminate and worry, and said he had developed a "rigid sense of right and wrong".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Perilous altitude, open hostility, and two of the most neurotic fan bases in soccer have turned Sunday’s game at the Estadio Azteca into an electric, tournament-defining matchup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
They are the diametrical opposites of Angela and Joe: calm and free, while their downstairs neighbors are neurotic and toxically codependent.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 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
He was a reader and recognized his habit of reading as obsessive and neurotic, and told himself that if he read something less frivolous than newspapers and magazines he might indeed be better off.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
What they will find is a brilliant ensemble of self-centered neurotics who somehow manage to be likable, despite their best efforts.
From New York Times ● Nov. 26, 2021
They attack the very shelter nature had given them, something neurotics of all animal classes can relate to.
From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2017
But something unexpected happens: Mendel falls madly in love with Trina, further entangling this skein of classic New York neurotics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2016
All quarterbacks are neurotics on that score, and equipment managers would feel obliged to please.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 30, 2015
Dora had handled plenty of neurotics in her time.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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.
