thanatophobia

[ than-uh-tuh-foh-bee-uh ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of death, especially one's own: Compare necrophobia.

   My daughter’s thanatophobia grew during high school—while many teens feel invincible, she was terror-stricken and obsessed with her mortality.

Other Words From

• than·a·to·pho·bic adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of thanatophobia¹

First recorded in 1855–60; thanato- + -phobia

Example Sentences

Necrophobia and thanatophobia are allied maladies, one being the fear of dead bodies and the other the fear of death itself.

From Project Gutenberg