as in paranoid
having or showing a very nervous or disordered state of mind
Her neurotic tendencies tend to manifest in her obsessive need for cleanliness. Our dog is a bit neurotic; she tends to panic around strangers.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of neurotic
Drawn with a spidery expressionistic line and featuring a cast of characters including the neurotic Bernard, brutish Huey and the graceful Dancer, the strip satirized social and political issues and gave voice to liberal humanist views during the culturally conservative 1950s.
—
Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Some parents are neurotic about validating their kids’ emotions or guarding their individuality; others fixate on maximizing their career potential.
—Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
In Silva’s hands, CeCe is clever and witty, neurotic and full of longing, both wise and naive.
—Patricia Karounos, refinery29.com, 21 Nov. 2024
These neurotic superheroes, played by Jang Ki-yong, Ko Du-shim, Soo Hyun and Park So-yi, appealingly face their problems and work through them to regain their powers.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for neurotic 
Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Some parents are neurotic about validating their kids’ emotions or guarding their individuality; others fixate on maximizing their career potential.
—Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
In Silva’s hands, CeCe is clever and witty, neurotic and full of longing, both wise and naive.
—Patricia Karounos, refinery29.com, 21 Nov. 2024
These neurotic superheroes, played by Jang Ki-yong, Ko Du-shim, Soo Hyun and Park So-yi, appealingly face their problems and work through them to regain their powers.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for neurotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neurotic
Adjective
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That becomes a great way to place him in a paranoid thriller, which is a genre that’s about mistrust of institutions and individuals.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2025
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The process of selecting the next pope is turned into a taught, twisty, paranoid thriller.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The counselor also told police Trotman had had a previous psychotic break in which he was found wandering the woods.—
Peter Hermann,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2023
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Lewis prescribed Price anti-psychotic medication after a mental health referral Sept. 1.—
Thomas Saccente,
Arkansas Online,
17 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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Is High in Antioxidants Orange juice is rich in healthy nutrients called antioxidants, compounds that help prevent cell damage from unstable molecules called free radical damage in a process known as oxidative stress.—
Aviv Joshua, MS,
Verywell Health,
11 Feb. 2025
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However, the ice was unstable and the search had to be suspended, troopers said.—
Sara Schilling,
Sacramento Bee,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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How worried should the team be about his availability for the playoffs?—
AAron Ontiveroz,
The Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2025
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But in the early days of the second Donald Trump presidency, LGBTQ+ communities across the U.S. are more worried about their digital privacy than ever before.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Related article More kids are anxious but fewer are getting the right help, study shows New fears and anxieties tend to develop and vary as children and adolescents grow and adapt to new environments, Silverman said.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN,
5 Feb. 2025
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The person in question has legal status and was feeling anxious about the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Both Hancock and Quaid recall their first meeting about the script — especially how nervous the actor was.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
4 Feb. 2025
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These tips can help nervous flyers manage or overcome their fear of the skies.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But Gaza — marked by decades of bloodshed — is a uniquely volatile addition to the roll call of lands whose sovereignty and assets have come under Trump’s restless eye.—
Laura King,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
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His output is alluded to in the film’s atmospheric credit sequence, in which a restless, scratchy charcoal pencil attacks white paper, the claustrophobia of which is intensified by the director’s intimate use of Academy ratio.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Neurotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neurotic. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
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