What does psychoneurotic mean?
Psychoneurotic is a dated medical adjective meaning connected with psychoneurosis, a former term covering psychological conditions marked by persistent anxiety, excessive worry, obsessions, or related symptoms. It can also function as a rare noun for someone considered to have such a condition. In earlier medical and literary usage, the word appeared in descriptions of nervous breakdowns, anxiety states, and people thought to be emotionally fragile. It should not be treated as a precise contemporary diagnosis: modern psychiatric classifications distinguish anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other conditions according to more clearly defined criteria. The word can also sound pejorative when applied directly to a person, as labels such as “neurotic” often carry a dismissive implication today. Although uncommon in routine clinical conversation, psychoneurotic remains useful in reading historical accounts of psychology and medicine and in understanding an older vocabulary of mental health.
Relating to psychoneurosis or to persistent anxiety and other psychological symptoms historically grouped under that term.
"The hospital admitted him after a severe episode accompanied by psychoneurotic anxiety."
This is a dated clinical term and is not a substitute for a current psychiatric diagnosis.
A person regarded as affected by psychoneurosis or characterized by persistent anxiety and psychological distress.
"Nineteenth-century accounts often presented the psychoneurotic as an invalid victim of modern life."
Rare and dated; when referring to a person, the expression may be stigmatizing in contemporary use.
The plural is rare and chiefly occurs in historical or literary contexts; the term can be stigmatizing when applied to people.
"The novel portrays a group of psychoneurotics struggling to adjust to urban life."
Once a formal medical label, psychoneurotic now survives mainly in historical writing—and as a reminder that old diagnoses do not always map neatly onto modern ones.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does psychoneurotic come from?
The word belongs to the medical vocabulary of the nineteenth century. It is formed from psychoneurosis, which combines Greek psychē, meaning “mind” or “soul,” with neuron, meaning “nerve,” and the suffix -osis, used in the formation of names of abnormal conditions. The related term psychoneurotic was formed by replacing this condition-forming ending with the adjective suffix -otic.
Related word forms
How psychoneurotic is actually used
The term is dated in modern clinical use because psychoneurosis is no longer a standard diagnostic category. Describing a person with it can sound pejorative or stigmatizing, so it is now more common in historical, literary, or specialized discussions than in ordinary conversation.
Easily confused with psychoneurotic
Psychoneurotic historically refers to anxiety-related psychological disturbance, whereas psychotic refers to a loss of contact with reality or to severe symptoms that may require urgent clinical care.