neurasthenic
Chronically fatigued, anxious
Neurasthenic describes someone suffering from or prone to nervous exhaustion—a state of chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to concentrate once attributed to overstimulation of the nervous system.
The term carries a dated, almost Victorian flavor: The neurasthenic heroine took to her bed for weeks.
It now suggests someone frail, high-strung, or temperamentally delicate, often with a hint of affectation or literary melodrama.
Uncontrollable emotional excess
- hypochondriaExcessive illness worry
- psychosomaticMind-induced bodily illness
- dysthymiaChronic low-grade melancholy
- BeardAmerican culinary surname
Uneasy and apprehensive
- tenseStrained or nervous
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
- high-strungNervously sensitive temperament
- jitteryAnxiously restless
edgy · agitated · restless · fidgety · apprehensive · fretful · worried · uneasy
Weak and ineffective
- frailWeak and breakable
- infirmWeak in body
- languidWeak and without vigor
- listlessLacking energy or enthusiasm
lethargic · enfeebled · delicate · fragile · wan · pallid · weakened · indisposed
Depleted of vitality
- debilitatedMade weak or infirm
- fatiguedDrained of energy
- worn-outDepleted through overuse
- prostratedLying flat in defeat
sapped · spent · depleted · drained · overtired · run-down · frazzled · flagging
Easily provoked to annoyance
- oversensitiveExcessively prone to offense
- hypersensitiveExcessively reactive to stimuli
- thin-skinnedEasily hurt by remarks
- touchyEasily upset or offended
peevish · querulous · petulant · testy · temperamental · fussy · reactive · fragile
Deeply discouraged, hopeless
- dispiritedHaving lost heart
- dejectedLow in spirits
- downcastSad or despondent
- gloomyDark and dispiriting
morose · doleful · woebegone · mournful · lugubrious · crestfallen · disconsolate · melancholy
hysteria
Uncontrollable emotional excess
- hypochondriaExcessive illness worry
- psychosomaticMind-induced bodily illness
- dysthymiaChronic low-grade melancholy
Beard · sanatorium · convalescent · invalid
nervous
Uneasy and apprehensive
- tenseStrained or nervous
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
- high-strungNervously sensitive temperament
jittery · edgy · agitated · restless · fidgety · apprehensive · fretful · worried · uneasy · hypervigilant
feeble
Weak and ineffective
listless · lethargic · enfeebled · delicate · fragile · wan · pallid · weakened · indisposed · sickly
enervated
Depleted of vitality
- debilitatedMade weak or infirm
- fatiguedDrained of energy
- worn-outDepleted through overuse
prostrated · sapped · spent · depleted · drained · overtired · run-down · frazzled · flagging · overworked
irritable
Easily provoked to annoyance
- oversensitiveExcessively prone to offense
- hypersensitiveExcessively reactive to stimuli
- thin-skinnedEasily hurt by remarks
touchy · peevish · querulous · petulant · testy · temperamental · fussy · reactive · fragile · delicate
despondent
Deeply discouraged, hopeless
- dispiritedHaving lost heart
- dejectedLow in spirits
- downcastSad or despondent
gloomy · morose · doleful · woebegone · mournful · lugubrious · crestfallen · disconsolate · melancholy · somber
neurasthenicresilient
Able to recover quickly
unflappable · hardy · thick-skinned · unshakeable · steely-nerved
neurasthenicunflappable
Impossible to disturb
stoic · even-keeled · placid · equanimous · cool-headed