neurotic
/n(j)ʊəˈɹɒtɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms neurotics
- adjective Affected with a neurosis.
- adjective (informal) Overly anxious. “He is getting neurotic about time-keeping.”
- adjective (medicine) Useful in disorders of, or affecting, the nerves.
- noun (medicine) A person who has a neurosis.
- noun (informal) A crazy person.
Synonyms
jitterbug nervous wreck obsessive worrywart psychoneurotic mental case
Antonyms
Etymology
Formed of neuro- (“of nerves or the nervous system”) + -otic (“having abnormal condition”). The initial element, in turn, is from Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “nerve”). Attested from the 17th century. Compare French névrotique.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “neurotic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details