neurasthenic

[ noor-uhs-then-ik, nyoor- ]

adjective

1. relating to, having, or experiencing neurasthenia.

noun

1. a person with neurasthenia.

Other Words From

• neur·as·then·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of neurasthenic¹

First recorded in 1875–80; neurasthen(ia) + -ic

Example Sentences

But on Tuesday, remarkably little sounded discordant, fidgeting, screaming or neurasthenic.

From New York Times

Zaslavsky’s takedown of “Lady Macbeth” is vulgarly imaginative, centering on Shostakovich’s desire to “tickle the perverted tastes of bourgeois audiences with its twitching, screeching, neurasthenic music.”

From New York Times

With a neurasthenic mother now in charge, the Nichols family hobbled forward, neither well-to-do nor destitute.

From Los Angeles Times

The stock market, our swaggering symbol of financial health and Trump’s best asset, has become a neurasthenic Victorian lady prone to taking to her fainting couch.

From New York Times

Personally, I can’t even think of forty-seven botanicals, and, unless the company is selling directly to neurasthenic beagles, I can’t conceive of any customer who will sniff out every aroma.

From The New Yorker