-phobe

1. a combining form used to form personal nouns corresponding to nouns ending in -phobia:

   Anglophobe.

-phobe

combining form

1. indicating a person or thing that fears or hates

   xenophobe

   Germanophobe

Derived Forms

• -phobic, combining_form:in_adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of -phobe¹

From Greek -phobos, adjectival derivative of phóbos “panic fear”

Word History and Origins

Origin of -phobe¹

from Greek -phobos fearing

Example Sentences

“I pledge to be a white supremacist, racist, antisemite, homophobe, a xenophobe, an Islamophobe and any other sort of phobe that benefits my people, so help me God,” he read with apparent enthusiasm.

From New York Times

“I pledge to be a white supremacist, racist, antisemite, homophobe, a xenophobe, an Islamophobe and any other sort of phobe that benefits my people, so help me God,” Mr. Hill read, avowing, “I still hold those views.”

From New York Times

One defendant reportedly said in court that he was “a white supremacist, a racist, an antisemite, a homophobe, a xenophobe, an Islamophobe, and any other sort of ‘phobe’ that benefits my people, so help me God.”

From Washington Post

When Michael Hill, another defendant, was questioned by attorneys on Friday about his beliefs and planning ahead of the rally, he proudly repeated a pledge in which he called himself “a white supremacist, a racist, an anti-Semite, a homophobe, a xenophobe, an Islamophobe, and any other sort of ‘phobe’ that benefits my people, so help me God!'”

From Seattle Times

Not touched on here is a fallacy of logic that skews, and may too often doom, arguments especially from the left: The mere fact that if something were true, it would be bad, unfair, unfortunate, or even 'ist' or 'phobe', does not make it untrue.

From New York Times

Words That Use -phobe

What does -phobe mean?

The combining form -phobe is used like a suffix to indicate the personal noun form of words that use the form -phobia, meaning “fear.” The form -phobe roughly means “someone with a fear.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in psychology and biology.

The form -phobe comes from Greek phóbos, meaning “fear” or “panic.” The Latin translation is timor, “fear,” which is the source of words such as timid and timorous.

What are variants of –phobe?

A less common variant of -phobe is -phobiac, as in agoraphobiac.

The form -phobe is also related to two other combining forms: -phobia and -phobic. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.

Examples of -phobe

An example of a scientific term that features -phobe is hydrophobe, “a hydrophobic, or water-repelling, substance.”

The hydro- part of the word likely looks familiar; it means “water,” from Greek hýdōr. The -phobe part of the term means “someone with a fear,” and hydrophobe literally translates to “water-fearer.”

What are some words that use the combining form –phobe?

• aelurophobe
• arachnophobe
• germaphobe
• homophobe
• technophobe
• xenophobe

What are some other forms that -phobe may be commonly confused with?

• -phone
• -phony
• -phore

Break it down!

The combining form xeno- means “alien” or “strange.” With this in mind, what does xenophobe mean?