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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Recent Examples of neurotic
On Tuesday, June 15, Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute, the neurotic office worker and beet farmer on the beloved series, shared two Instagram photos from his reunion with Jenna Fischer, the face behind everyone's favorite receptionist/ sales and office coordinator, Pam Beesly.
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Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 17 July 2025
The trouble with Genovese’s approach is that each tiny choice sparks a kind of mental skirmish — some of them justified, as when Lara’s ex interrupts their dinner — such that the two come across as even more neurotic than your typical Woody Allen character.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 July 2025
Does Marnie's response to her plans getting derailed come off as a bit neurotic?
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 18 July 2025
Names, dates, positions; her friends, his friends, her own first cousin, Ceil, long dead now, from cancer of the breast—beautiful, neurotic, unmarried Ceil had schtupped her Walter!
—Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for neurotic
Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 17 July 2025
The trouble with Genovese’s approach is that each tiny choice sparks a kind of mental skirmish — some of them justified, as when Lara’s ex interrupts their dinner — such that the two come across as even more neurotic than your typical Woody Allen character.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 July 2025
Does Marnie's response to her plans getting derailed come off as a bit neurotic?
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 18 July 2025
Names, dates, positions; her friends, his friends, her own first cousin, Ceil, long dead now, from cancer of the breast—beautiful, neurotic, unmarried Ceil had schtupped her Walter!
—Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for neurotic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neurotic
paranoid
Adjective
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However, swapping out classic sodium chloride for sodium bromide is a solid way to give yourself acne, involuntary muscle spasms, and paranoid psychosis.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
14 Aug. 2025
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At another time, a perpetually anxious comedian who can’t keep from ranting about his paranoid worries about the end of the world probably would not feel like such a helpful guide to life.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Neurotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neurotic. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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