neuralgia

American  

[noo-ral-juh, nyoo-] / nʊˈræl dʒə, njʊ- /

noun

Pathology.

neuralgias plural

1. sharp and paroxysmal pain along the course of a nerve.

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neuralgia British  

/ njʊˈrældʒɪə /

noun

1. severe spasmodic pain caused by damage to or malfunctioning of a nerve and often following the course of the nerve

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antineuralgic
  adjective
• neuralgic
  adjective
• postneuralgic
  adjective
• preneuralgic
  adjective
• unneuralgic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• neuralgias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of neuralgia

First recorded in 1815–25; neur- + -algia

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neuralgia neuralgias

Vaccination, which has typically been recommended for older adults, reduces the likelihood of shingles and lowers the risk of postherpetic neuralgia, or long-term nerve pain that can persist after the rash clears.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026

The FDA approved it in 2002 for post-herpetic neuralgia, or nerve pain after shingles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025

Trigeminal neuralgia is a rare chronic-pain disorder that affects nerves in the head and face, resulting in severe and sudden pain, according to the National Institutes of Health.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2023

In trigeminal neuralgia, an injury to the nerve causes terrible pain in one of these branches.

From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2021

“I am still tortured a good deal with neuralgia and toothache,” Olmsted wrote, “and I am tired and have a growing dread of worry & anxiety.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

I have used it with advantage in ulcers, neuralgias and tetanus.

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Anshutz, Edward Pollock

We have taken a useful step, however, in separating the true neuralgias from the somewhat indefinite group of diseases to which this title has been given.

From Neuralgia and the Diseases that Resemble it by Anstie, Francis E.

Muscular neuralgias, especially in the lower extremities, are not uncommon.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

Tuberculosis, scrofula, rheumatism, neuralgias, bronchial, and kidney affections are made worse in damp houses.

From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin

The irritability and exhaustibility may be sometimes excessive in neuralgias, sometimes normal, and perhaps, in certain cases, beneath the normal standard; by which means the form of the curve of intensity must be considerably modified.

From Neuralgia and the Diseases that Resemble it by Anstie, Francis E.