neurotic
adjective
neu·rot·ic
| \ nuÌ-ËrĂ€-tik
, nyuÌ-\
, nyuÌ-\
Definition of neurotic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: of, relating to, constituting, or affected with neurosis (see neurosis)
neurotic
noun
neu·rot·ic
| \ nuÌ-ËrĂ€-tik
, nyuÌ-\
, nyuÌ-\
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
\ nuÌ-ËrĂ€-ti-k(É-)lÄ
, nyuÌ- \
adverb
, nyuÌ- \
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 ZoltĂĄn AbĂĄdi-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 claustrophobeâperhaps the only kind of neurotic out of place in New YorkâI 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.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Thereâs only one performer who could give life to Forky: Tony Hale, portrayer of two of the most neurotic characters in television comedy history â Buster Bluth on Arrested Development and Gary Walsh on Veep. — Lauren Le Vine, refinery29.com, "Toy Story 4âs Forky Is The Unlikely Hero Of 2019," 20 June 2019 An art restorer, a divorced man, two former lovers, a neurotic woman and a slob struggle with relationships in London. — Los Angeles Times, "Here are the feature and TV films airing the week of Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019," 11 Aug. 2019 One good option is to start a work diary like John Steinbeck, the author of one of the true great American novels and, as his journal reveals, a big-time neurotic. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "If youâve got a big career goal, you need to start keeping a work diary," 30 July 2019 Rozette Rago for The New York Times After four seasons of his namesake IFC comedy, and copious soul-searching, Marc Maron wasnât clamoring for another series, let alone a character so neurotic, so angry and compulsive, so exactly like him. — Kathryn Shattuck, New York Times, "Marc Maron on âGLOW,â His Podcast and âSwords of Trustâ," 19 July 2019 The benefits of being neurotic Some of the finding might not be all that surprising. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, "What how you spend your money says about who you are," 17 July 2019 The ones who are most helpful to the kids are themselves divorced from society in some way or another: the neurotic Joyce; the brutish, alcohol-dependent Hopper; and the abrasive conspiracy theorist Murray. — Maya Phillips, The New Yorker, "The New Season of âStranger Thingsâ Shows the Limits of Kids Saving the World," 9 July 2019 The breakout star of Disney-Pixarâs Toy Story 4 is undeniably Forky, the neurotic spork voiced by Tony Hale. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, "Disney recalls Toy Story 4 Forky plush, citing choking hazard," 8 July 2019 Alas the Trump era may have to end before the U.S. can have a Russia policy that isnât driven by neurotic domestic partisan obsessions. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Putinism in the Dock for Airliner Shootdown," 21 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
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 2018These 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. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for neurotic
neurotic
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of neurotic
(Entry 1 of 2)
medical
: having or suggesting neurosis
: often or always fearful or worried about something : tending to worry in a way that is not healthy or reasonable
neurotic
noun
English Language Learners Definition of neurotic (Entry 2 of 2)
medical
: a person who has a neurosis
: a person who is always fearful or worried about something
See the full definition for neurotic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
neurotic
adjective
neu·rot·ic
| \ n(y)uÌ-ËrĂ€t-ik
\
\
Medical Definition of neurotic
(Entry 1 of 2)
Other Words from neurotic
neurotically
\ -i-k(É-)lÄ
\
adverb
\
adverb
neurotic
noun