neurasthenia
noun
neur·as·the·nia
ˌnu̇r-əs-ˈthē-nē-ə 
ˌnyu̇r-
: a condition that is characterized especially by physical and mental exhaustion usually with accompanying symptoms (such as headache and irritability), is of unknown cause but is often associated with depression or emotional stress, and is sometimes considered similar to or identical with chronic fatigue syndrome
Examples of neurasthenia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Indeed, Greeley seemed to be a classic, if unusually tragic, case of what doctors of the day referred to as neurasthenia—a sort of catchall diagnosis encompassing anxiety, depression, insomnia, loss of appetite, physical exhaustion and other symptoms typically attributed to overwork.
—
Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024
But neurasthenia alone wouldn’t account for Greeley’s death.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024
Mitchell believed that many of his patients suffered from neurasthenia, a something’s-not-quite-right diagnosis that encompassed such symptoms as weakness, lethargy, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and headaches.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2023
Peabody’s muscular Christianity reflected elite anxieties at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries around a loss of manliness and a spreading neurasthenia compared with the rougher pre-industrial times.
—Doug Henwood, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
The fashionable malaise of neurasthenia was only one of the disorders thought to be caused by a depletion of energies.
—Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 6 July 2018
Then neurasthenia was a fashionable disease, and a lot of writers and artists embraced it with a passion.
—National Geographic, 19 Aug. 2016
During the second half of the 19th century, neurologists described a condition called neurasthenia, thought to have been brought on by the accelerating pace of modern life.
—Nitsuh Abebe, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2017
Nineteenth century neurasthenia theories read very similarly.
—National Geographic, 19 Aug. 2016
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Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024
But neurasthenia alone wouldn’t account for Greeley’s death.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024
Mitchell believed that many of his patients suffered from neurasthenia, a something’s-not-quite-right diagnosis that encompassed such symptoms as weakness, lethargy, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and headaches.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2023
Peabody’s muscular Christianity reflected elite anxieties at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries around a loss of manliness and a spreading neurasthenia compared with the rougher pre-industrial times.
—Doug Henwood, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
The fashionable malaise of neurasthenia was only one of the disorders thought to be caused by a depletion of energies.
—Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 6 July 2018
Then neurasthenia was a fashionable disease, and a lot of writers and artists embraced it with a passion.
—National Geographic, 19 Aug. 2016
During the second half of the 19th century, neurologists described a condition called neurasthenia, thought to have been brought on by the accelerating pace of modern life.
—Nitsuh Abebe, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2017
Nineteenth century neurasthenia theories read very similarly.
—National Geographic, 19 Aug. 2016
Dictionary Entries Near neurasthenia
Cite this Entry
“Neurasthenia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurasthenia. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
neurasthenia
noun
neur·as·the·nia
ˌn(y)u̇r-əs-ˈthē-nē-ə
: a condition that is characterized especially by physical and mental exhaustion usually with accompanying symptoms (as headaches, insomnia, and irritability), is of unknown cause but is often associated with depression or emotional stress, and is sometimes considered similar to or identical with chronic fatigue syndrome
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