phobia

¹

[ foh-bee-uh ]

noun

1. an intense, persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, situation, or person that manifests in physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath, and that motivates avoidance behavior.
2. an aversion toward, dislike of, or disrespect for a thing, idea, person, or group.

-phobia

²

1. a combining form meaning “fear,” occurring in loanwords from Greek ( hydrophobia ); on this model, used in the names of anxiety disorders that have the general sense “dread of, aversion toward” that specified by the initial element ( agoraphobia ); on the same model, used in words that name hostility toward a thing or idea, or a specific group, with the sense “antipathy toward or dislike of, disrespect or disdain for” the object or people specified by the initial element ( technophobia ; xenophobia ).

-phobia

¹

combining form

1. indicating an extreme abnormal fear of or aversion to

   claustrophobia

   acrophobia

phobia

²

/ ˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. psychiatry an abnormal intense and irrational fear of a given situation, organism, or object

phobia

1. An extreme and often unreasonable fear of some object, concept, situation, or person.

Derived Forms

• -phobic, combining_form:in_adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of phobia¹

First recorded in 1780–90; extracted from nouns ending in -phobia

Origin of phobia²

From Latin, from Greek, equivalent to -phob(os) “panic fear” + -ia noun suffix; -phobe, -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of phobia¹

via Latin from Greek, from phobos fear

Origin of phobia²

C19: from Greek phobos fear

Example Sentences

"We already have a lot of phobia due to the previous calamities that happened here like floods, strong winds and other disasters," said Melchor Bilay, who was evacuated to a school further south, in Sorsogon province.

From BBC

A Swedish minister's phobia of bananas has reportedly led to government officials asking for rooms to be free of the fruit.

From BBC

In a response to Expressen, the Liberal party minister confirmed it was phobia, but described the impact it has on her as "sort of an allergy" and "something I'm getting professional help for".

From BBC

Brandberg, the country's gender equality minister, is said to have posted on X in 2020, saying she has the "world's weirdest phobia of bananas".

From BBC

He understood that trashing immigrants tapped into the American primordial fear of newcomers, a phobia so potent that right now, the Democratic takeover of California after Proposition 187 looks more like an exception than a rule.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alarm
• anxiety
• aversion
• distaste
• dread
• fear
• fearfulness
• hang-up
• loathing
• obsession
• resentment
• revulsion
• trepidation

Words That Use -phobia

What does -phobia mean?

The combining form -phobia is used like a suffix meaning “fear.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in psychology and biology.

The form -phobia 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 –phobia?

While -phobia doesn’t have any variants, it is related to two other combining forms: -phobic and -phobe. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.

Examples of -phobia

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -phobia is agoraphobia, “an irrational or disproportionate fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas.”

The agora- part of the word comes from Greek agorā́, meaning “assembly” or “marketplace.” And -phobia means “fear,” as we’ve seen. So, agoraphobia literally translates to “fear of the marketplace.”

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

• arachnophobia
• cainotophobia
• claustrophobia
• hydrophobia
• necrophobia
• teratophobia
• thanatophobia

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

• -phone
• -phony
• -phore

Break it down!

The combining form hydro- means “water.” With this in mind, what does the scientific term hydrophobia mean in everyday language?