Neurosis Meaning
/n(j)ʊˈɹəʊ̯.sɪs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA mental disorder, less severe than psychosis, marked by anxiety or fear which differ from normal measures by their intensity, which disorder results from a failure to compromise or properly adjust during the developmental stages of life, between normal human instinctual impulses and the demands of human society.
Sentence Examples
Neurosis is a trait often stereotypically assigned to Ashkenazi Jews.
Is it true that she diagnosed you with hysterical neurosis?
CEFR Practice Quiz
A mental condition involving anxiety but not losing touch with reality is called ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A chronic ____ can sometimes interfere with a person's ability to handle daily stress.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-wr̥ Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥der. Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron) Ancient Greek νευρο- (neuro-)der. English neuro- English -sis English neurosis From neuro- + -sis.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"On inquiry it was found that this neurosis corresponded in time with the oncome of the catamenia."
— 1881, American journal of obstetrics and diseases of women and children, volume 14:
"In the period from Spinoza to the end of the 19th century, the reading of design into nature received such devastating attacks from naturalists to non-naturalists alike that there developed an epistemological neurosis which Von Baer aptly termed “teleophobia.”"
— 1952, D. Maurice Allan, “Towards a Natural Teleology”, in The Journal of Philosophy, volume 49, number 13, →DOI:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A mental condition involving anxiety but not losing touch with reality is called ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A chronic ____ can sometimes interfere with a person's ability to handle daily stress.