neurotic

[ noo-rot-ik, nyoo- ]

See synonyms for: neurotic neurotics on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of neurosis.

noun

a neurotic person.

Origin of neurotic

First recorded in 1870–75; neur(osis) + -otic

Other words from neurotic

neu·rot·ic·al·ly, adverb
sem·i·neu·rot·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·neu·rot·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with neurotic

neurotic , psychotic, schizoid, schizophrenic

Other definitions for neurotic (2 of 2)

neurotic²

[ noo-rot-ik, nyoo- ]

adjectivePathology.

pertaining to the nerves or to nerve disease; neural: no longer in technical use.

Origin of neurotic

First recorded in 1765–75; neuro- + -tic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use neurotic in a sentence

And Saudi leaders worry neurotically that Iranian-American negotiations now underway would weaken American commitments to them.
Saudi Fears and Mysteries | Leslie H. Gelb | October 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Anything else is an “entirely fictive alternate reality” where people who disagree with him “neurotically retreat.”
Are Critics Of Israeli Occupation Getting Nervous? | David Suissa | March 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
So they neurotically retreat into an alternate universe in which everything feels better.
Of Course Settlements Are Illegal | Hussein Ibish | March 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
And, yes, I have neurotically adapted to the gladiator sport of celebrity culture, the cruelty of a life lived as a moving target.
Jodie Foster Blasts Kristen Stewart–Robert Pattinson Break-Up Spectacle | Jodie Foster | August 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
I rejoice in the fact that I now have a number I can neurotically obsess over.
Bridesmaids Director Paul Feig's Overdue Triumph | Paul Feig | May 16, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST

Those who are neurotically inclined are especially victims of the habit.
Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh
Such a person is the neurotically extreme form of the "do-it-yourselfer."
When You Don't Know Where to Turn | Steven J. Bartlett
Neurotically and erotically, he was hypersthetic, with a playful graciousness of character never surpassed.
The Letters of William James, Vol. II | William James
Miss Winstock began to search neurotically in a bag for a handkerchief.
Mr. Prohack | E. Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for neurotic

neurotic

/ (njʊˈrɒtɪk) /

adjective

of, relating to, or afflicted by neurosis

noun

a person who is afflicted with a neurosis or who tends to be emotionally unstable or unusually anxious

Derived forms of neurotic

neurotically, adverb

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

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