Definition
A personality trait characterized by emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, and a tendency to experience negative emotions.
Etymology
From Greek 'neuron' (nerve, sinew) + '-otic' (relating to) + '-ism.' One of the Big Five personality dimensions.
Kelly Says
Neuroticism is your emotional sensitivity dial — high neuroticism means you feel negative emotions more intensely and more often. It's a trait, not a flaw.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ንስሐ እንቅስቃሴ
nəsha ən-kəs-qəsə
ARالعربية
اضطراب نفسي
iḍṭrāb nafsī
CACatalà
neurotisme
no-roh-tee-sme
CSČeština
neurotizmus
no-roh-tee-zmus
DADansk
neurotisme
no-roh-tee-sme
DEDeutsch
Neurotizismus
no-roh-tee-zi-smoos
ELΕλληνικά
νευρωτικότητα
në-ro-tiko-t-it-ah
ESEspañol
neuroticismo
no-roh-tee-si-smo
FAفارسی
افسردگی
afsar-d-ghi
FISuomi
neurotismia
no-roh-tee-sti-ah
FRFrançais
neuroticisme
no-roh-tee-si-sme
GUGU
ન્યુરોટીઝમ
noo-roh-tee-zhm
HAHA
aiki a jini
a-iki a ji-ni
HEעברית
הימנעות
hi-ma-na-at
HIहिन्दी
न्यूरोटिज्म
noo-roh-tee-jzm
HUMagyar
neuroticizmus
no-roh-tee-ci-zmus
IDBahasa Indonesia
neuroticism
no-roh-tee-si-zm
IGIG
ihe na-eme ihe na-eme ihe
i-he na-eme i-he na-eme i-he
ITItaliano
neuroticismo
no-roh-tee-si-smo
KKKK
нейротизм
nëy-ro-tizm
MRMR
न्यूरोटिज्म
noo-roh-tee-jzm
MSBahasa Melayu
neuroticism
no-roh-tee-si-zm
MYမြန်မာ
ရှေးတွင်း သိ
shwe-twing thi
NLNederlands
neuroticisme
no-roh-tee-si-sme
NONorsk
neurotisme
no-roh-tee-sme
PAPA
ਨੇਯਰੋਟਿਜਮ
nay-roh-tee-jzm
PLPolski
neurotyzm
no-roh-tee-zm
PTPortuguês
neuroticismo
no-roh-tee-si-smo
RORomână
neurotizm
no-roh-tee-zm
RUРусский
нейротизм
nëy-ro-tizm
SVSvenska
neuroticism
no-roh-tee-si-zm
SWKiswahili
neuroticism
no-roh-tee-si-zm
TEతెలుగు
నెయ్యోటీసిజం
ne-yyo-tee-si-jam
THไทย
อารมณ์กังวล
a-rom-nong kan-won
TLTL
neuroticism
no-roh-tee-si-zm
TRTürkçe
nörotizm
no-ro-tizm
UKУкраїнська
нейротизм
nëy-ro-tizm
URاردو
neuroticism
no-roh-tee-si-zm
VITiếng Việt
neuroticism
no-roh-tee-si-zm
YOYO
ṣeṣẹ-ọ̀pọ̀
ṣeṣẹ-o-po
ZUZU
ukubambiswa kwesizwe
u-ku-bam-bis-wa kwe-si-zwe
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Neuroticism as a personality trait was historically conflated with 'nervousness' and emotional instability, traits coded as feminine and used to pathologize women's psychological experiences. Medical and psychological literature from the 19th-20th centuries systematically dismissed women's emotional responses as neurotic rather than rational.
Inclusive Usage
Use with awareness that the term has been applied asymmetrically—women's distress often labeled neurotic while men's identical symptoms were taken seriously. Specify observed behaviors rather than applying the label directly to people.
Inclusive Alternatives
["emotional sensitivity","heightened emotional responsiveness","trait anxiety"]
Empowerment Note
Women neuroscientists like Sandra Bem and Harriet Zuckerman advanced personality psychology, moving beyond gendered pathology frameworks toward dimensional trait models that destigmatize emotional range.