neurotic
/njuə'rɔtik/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Affected with emotional disorder: Describes a person who suffers from a neurosis, a mental condition characterized by excessive anxiety, obsessive thoughts, or compulsive behaviors, without a loss of contact with reality.
- Characteristic of or affected by neurosis: Pertaining to, arising from, or displaying the symptoms of a neurotic disorder.
Noun:
- A person suffering from neurosis: An individual who has a neurotic condition.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- She became increasingly neurotic about cleanliness, washing her hands dozens of times a day.
- His neurotic fear of failure prevented him from applying for the promotion.
- Noun:
- The therapist specialized in treating neurotics with anxiety disorders.
- He was labeled a neurotic by his colleagues because of his constant worrying.
Advanced Usage
- In a clinical/psychological context: The term is used to describe conditions, symptoms, or personality traits linked to neurosis, which is distinct from psychosis.
- The patient presented with classic neurotic symptoms, including phobias and somatic complaints.
- In informal/colloquial language: Often used loosely to describe someone who is excessively anxious, fretful, or obsessive in a non-clinical sense.
- Don't be so neurotic; the plane is statistically very safe.
Variants and Related Words
- Neurosis (n): The mental condition itself.
- His anxiety was diagnosed as a neurosis.
- Neurotically (adv): In a neurotic manner.
- She checked the door locks neurotically every night.
- Neuroticism (n): A personality trait involving a chronic level of emotional instability and proneness to psychological distress.
Synonyms
- Adjective: Anxious, high-strung, obsessive, compulsive, hysterical (in some contexts), overwrought.
- Noun: None are perfect clinical synonyms, but informally: worrier, hypochondriac (specific type).
Related Phrases
- Neurotic need: (In psychology) An irrational, compulsive drive stemming from anxiety.
- Her neurotic need for approval made her agree to everything.
- Neurotic anxiety: Anxiety that is disproportionate to the actual threat, often arising from internal conflicts.
- He experienced neurotic anxiety over minor social interactions.
Notes on Meaning
- Clinical vs. Lay Usage: In psychiatry/psychology, "neurotic" is a specific historical term (though less used in modern diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5, replaced by more specific anxiety and related disorders). In everyday language, it is commonly used as a synonym for "chronically anxious" or "overly sensitive."
- Distinction from Psychotic: A critical distinction. A neurotic person has a distorted perception of reality (e.g., excessive fear) but knows the difference between their thoughts and reality. A psychotic person has lost contact with reality (e.g., hallucinations, delusions).
Adjective
- affected with emotional disorder
- characteristic of or affected by neurosis
- neurotic disorder
- neurotic symptoms
Noun
- a person suffering from neurosis