neurotic Hear it!

neurotic Definition

neu·rotic (no̵o rätik, nyo̵o-)

adjective

of, characteristic of, or having a neurosis

noun

a neurotic person

neurotic Related Forms

neu·roti·cally adverb neu·roti·cism′ (--ə siz′əm) noun

neurotic Synonyms

neurotic

modif.

disoriented, disturbed, unstable, mentally ill, erratic, psychoneurotic, aberrant, deranged, obsessive, compulsive, upset, sick; see also insane 1, troubled 1.

neurotic Synonyms

neurotic

n.

paranoid, psychoneurotic, sick person, psychotic, hypochondriac, neuropath, kleptomaniac.

neurotic Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • become: Then I'll complain a lot, become neurotic, and generally be a pain in the ass for a while.
  • get: When they did the Church got neurotic and issued an edict.

Adjective modifier

  • self-centered: Well, my writing partner is a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium.
  • tedious: Well, my writing partner is a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium.
  • poor: Christians, however, cannot abide humility in anyone other than monks or poor neurotics that like to live on pillars or in cells.

Modifies a noun

  • disorder: Having more than one neurotic disorder was associated with heavy smoking.
  • symptom: A group of prisoners with very severe neurotic symptoms ( scores of 36 or more in the CIS-R ) was also followed up.
  • personality: Many past writers had difficult and neurotic personalities, and the same traits are all too evident today.
  • fear: He was a man of ruthless cruelty and huge insecurity who continually lived in a neurotic fear of the loss of power and influence.
  • mother: Do they feel that neurotic mothers are imagining feeding problems?
  • behavior: In biblical counseling we are not content with eliminating neurotic behavior or symptoms.

Used with adjective complement

become: How did Dorothy become so neurotic -- what happened to her?

Noun used with modifier

  • war: The physicians were therefore led to regard war neurotics in a similar light to the nervous subjects of peace-time.
  • bit: I'm naturally paranoid & more than a bit neurotic about such things.

Modifying Another Word

  • slightly: The machine is quite eloquent, but I would be concerned by the needy and slightly neurotic tone.
  • almost: They went from believing that Britain could do anything to an almost neurotic belief that Britain could do nothing.
  • not: These people are not neurotic in the sense that they should fear nothing at all.
  • too: Paul Bettany: I think I'm too neurotic for that to be honest.
  • so: As one said: I am cross with myself for being so neurotic about exams.
  • highly: For example, I am both highly neurotic and highly self-confident.