neurosis
Definitions
A relatively mild mental disorder marked by anxiety, obsession, or other distress, without loss of contact with reality
神经症，以焦虑、强迫或其他困扰为特征的相对轻度心理障碍，患者未脱离现实
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedneur (nerve) + -osis (condition) = 'a nerve condition.' Coined in the 1700s when emotional disturbances were blamed on the nerves. It settled into meaning a mild mental disorder — anxiety, obsession — milder than psychosis.
Root neur still carries 7 more wordsWhy It Means This
The word carries a piece of outdated medical history. Doctors of the 1700s and 1800s literally believed these conditions came from disordered nerves, so they named them 'nerve-conditions.' Freud later made neurosis central to psychoanalysis. Modern psychiatry has dropped it as a clinical category, but it survives in everyday talk as a label for chronic, low-grade anxiety.
Common Collocations
- 1.anxiety neurosis焦虑神经症
- 2.obsessive neurosis强迫神经症
- 3.treatment of neurosis神经症治疗
Example Sentences
- 1.
His constant need for approval bordered on neurosis.
- 2.
Therapists once treated anxiety neurosis with long talking sessions.
- 3.
The novel explores the quiet neurosis of suburban life.
Easily Confused
neurosis vs psychosis — Both are -osis 'conditions,' but they differ in severity. Neurosis is mild: the person stays in touch with reality but suffers anxiety or obsession. Psychosis is severe: the person loses contact with reality (delusions, hallucinations). Rule of thumb: anxious but grounded → neurosis; detached from reality → psychosis.