Neuralgic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to neuralgia or to sharp pain that travels along the path of a nerve ; figuratively describing something highly sensitive or prone to causing serious trouble
2. Connected with nerve pain that flares sharply along a nerve's course ; metaphorically describing a matter that is touchy and likely to provoke difficulty
3. Of or affecting neuralgic pain, the stabbing ache that follows a nerve ; also used to describe a delicate issue that easily becomes a source of conflict

Etymology: Neuralgia is the pain that follows the path of a nerve, and "neuralgic" is simply the adjective built from it by adding the suffix "-ic". That suffix comes from Greek through Latin "-icus", passing into Middle English as "-ik" and later settling into the modern "-ic" form. So the adjective is a straightforward layering of an existing medical noun with a long-established ending, and its meaning tracks the noun directly: something neuralgic relates to, or is affected by, neuralgia. The more interesting shift happened in ordinary usage. Beyond the clinic, "neuralgic" is now often used figuratively for a spot that is especially sensitive or painful, as in describing a "neuralgic point" in a political dispute or a topic that touches a nerve. The image of nerve pain, sharp and easily provoked, carried over into describing anything that is tender to the touch in a social or political sense.

Synonyms: painful, agonizing, aching

Antonyms: painless, soothing