This paper addresses the problem of adaptive output-feedback control for more general class of stochastic time-varying delay nonlinear systems with unknown control coefficients and perturbations. By using Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, backstepping and tuning function technique, a novel adaptive neural network (NN) output-feedback controller is constructed with fewer learning parameters. The designed controller guarantees that all the signals in the closed-loop system are 4-moment (or mean square) semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded (SGUUB). Finally, a simulation example is shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.