Definition of NEUROTIC
of, relating to, constituting, or affected with neurosis… See the full definition
neurotic
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neu·rot·ic
|
,
nyu̇-
Definition of
neurotic
(Entry 1 of 2)
:
of, relating to, constituting, or affected with neurosis (see
neurosis
)
neurotic
neu·rot·ic
|
,
nyu̇-
Definition of
neurotic
(Entry 2 of 2)
1
:
one affected with a neurosis (see
neurosis
)
2
:
an emotionally unstable individual
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Other Words from
neurotic
Adjective
neurotically
,
nyu̇-
adverb
Examples of
neurotic
in a Sentence
Adjective
This most fastidious of pianists sounds anything but
neurotic
when he plays Mozart.
— Richard Coles
,
Times Literary Supplement
,
15 Nov. 2002
Maybe it’s because novelists don’t talk much about each other. Maybe this is because novelists secrete a certain BO which only other novelists detect, like certain buzzards who emit a repellent pheromone detectable only by other buzzards, which is to say that only a novelist can know how
neurotic
, devious, underhanded a novelist can be.
— Walker Percy
,
“An Interview With Zoltán Abádi-Nagy,”
1987
,
in
Signposts in a Strange Land
,
1991
In our own time, the most perfect examples of such biography … are the matchless case-histories of Freud. Freud here shows, with absolute clarity, that the on-going nature of
neurotic
illness and its treatment cannot be displayed except by biography.
— Oliver Sacks
,
Awakenings
,
(1973) 1990
The psychiatrist diagnosed the patient as
neurotic
.
My
neurotic
mother scolded me for staying out 10 minutes past curfew.
He is
neurotic
about his job.
Noun
More than any rebirth, one senses in the England of 1911 a civilization’s unconscious death wish, vividly present in the author’s glimpses of the poet Rupert Brooke, that squeaky-clean
neurotic
, a casualty waiting to happen.
— Thomas Mallon
,
New York Times Book Review
,
27 May 2007
As a claustrophobe—perhaps the only kind of
neurotic
out of place in New York—I find nothing in the city more terrifying than a stalled subway car.
— John Tierney
,
New York Times Magazine
,
19 Mar. 1995
You are too much something for a tubercular
neurotic
who can only be jealous and mean and perverse.
— F. Scott Fitzgerald
,
letter
,
2 Dec. 1939
He was diagnosed as a
neurotic
.
He is a
neurotic
about keeping his clothes neat.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The often cringe-inducing chronicle of the aspiring,
neurotic
rapper who can’t stop oversharing about his underwhelming qualities is slated to return on June 16 at 10 p.m. on FXX with two episodes and stream the next day on FX on Hulu.
—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard
, “Season Two of Lil Dicky’s ‘Dave’ to Feature Lil Nas X, Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner,” 20 Apr. 2021
Josh Thomas’ feel good Freeform comedy returns to screens April 8 with more antics from
neurotic
twentysomething Nicholas (played by Thomas), and his teenage half-sisters Genevieve (Maeve Press) and Matilda (Kayla Cromer).
—
Ruth Kinane,
EW.com
, “Josh Thomas on whether everything’s gonna be okay on season 2 of Everything’s Gonna Be Okay,” 7 Apr. 2021
Too bookish and restrained for mainstream pop, too
neurotic
for punk, and too bright and structured for post-punk.
—
Brady Gerber,
Vulture
, “Creation Records, the Label History Loves to Overlook,” 29 Mar. 2021
Take, for example, Gus, who resided at the Central Park Zoo and became the beloved mascot of New Yorkers due to his
neurotic
tendencies.
—
Katherine Cusumano,
Outside Online
, “How Polar Bears Became Avatars for the Climate Crisis,” 28 Mar. 2021
People who experience prolonged episodes of job insecurity are at risk of becoming less agreeable, less conscientious, and more
neurotic
, according to new research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes
, “Chronic Job Insecurity Can Change Your Personality, According To New Research,” 19 Mar. 2021
Some of that came from humanity’s glorious sense of pluck — our need and amazing (or
neurotic
) ability to find the good in the bad.
—
Los Angeles Times
, “Column: We can finally see the end of the pandemic. We just need to not implode before we get there,” 11 Mar. 2021
Many people have an idea of a predator as a man who is dominant and aggressive, but Allen built his career on being insecure and
neurotic
.
—
Alia E. Dastagir,
USA TODAY
, “Woody Allen is being tried in the court of public opinion but cancel culture has its flaws,” 25 Feb. 2021
Like Wilson, Lurie doesn’t just invite you into his
neurotic
headspace.
—
John Semley,
The New Republic
, “Painting With John Perfects the Art of Instruction,” 5 Feb. 2021
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Seinfeld, which stars Jerry Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself, pokes fun at
neurotics
like Seinfeld and his friends, who overthink and worry about too many little things.
—
Nina Huang,
EW.com
, “What to quaran-stream on Hulu if you’re running out of shows to watch,” 1 May 2020
Learn about the connection between
neurotics
and Brexit.
—
Lacy Schley,
Discover Magazine
, “The Psychology of Politics,” 15 June 2018
But economy-class
neurotics
will have to make do while their shrink answers emails or knits cardigans during their sessions.
—
Joe Queenan,
WSJ
, “Pay Up if You Want to Eat Premium Bananas,” 11 May 2018
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘neurotic.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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First Known Use of
neurotic
Adjective
1866, in the meaning defined
above
Noun
1896, in the meaning defined at
sense 1
History and Etymology for
neurotic
Adjective
Noun
derivative of
neurotic
entry
1
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neurotic
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neurotic
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neurotic
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Cite this Entry
“Neurotic.”
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary
, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurotic. Accessed 1 May. 2021.
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neurotic
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neurotic
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