phobic

¹

[ foh-bik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a phobia or phobias.

noun

1. a person with a phobia.

-phobic

²

1. a combining form used to form adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -phobe:

   acrophobic; photophobic.

phobic

/ ˈfəʊbɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or arising from a phobia

noun

1. a person suffering from a phobia

Other Words From

• non·pho·bic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of phobic¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; phob(ia) + -ic, or by abstraction from adjectives ending in -phobic

Origin of phobic²

-phobe + -ic

Example Sentences

Auntie is very phobic about credit card scams but she hasn’t listened when my parents tell her that scams come through the phone and mail too.

From Slate

The six-minute video is not for the needle phobic, as White films herself lying down calmly with her eyes closed as a doctor inserts a needle into her cheeks and her lips and even jiggles it around to dissolve the fillers.

From Los Angeles Times

With hundreds of years of baseless myth to supply us, it’s no wonder as many as six percent of people are phobic of arachnids.

From National Geographic

As for not noticing someone’s phobic tendencies, remember: Having to get along to get by is a powerful incentive to keep our hostilities, our “stuff,” tucked away.

From Washington Post

Croft: There’s still some resistance from editors of a certain generation — to translation itself, to properly crediting and remunerating the translator — but I think people are less phobic than they once might have been.

From Los Angeles Times

Words That Use -phobic

What does -phobic mean?

The combining form -phobic is used like a suffix to create the adjective form of words ending in -phobe, a form that roughly means “someone with a fear.” In other words, -phobic means “of, relating to, or characteristic of something with a fear.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in psychology and biology.

The form -phobic is made from a combination of two combining forms. The first is -phobe, from Greek phóbos, meaning “fear” or “panic.” The second form is the suffix -ic. The suffix -ic ultimately comes from Greek -ikos, an ending used to form adjectives.

What are variants of –phobic?

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

Examples of -phobic

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -phobic is agoraphobic, “of, relating to, or characteristic of 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,” while -phobic means “relating to something with a phobia.” Agoraphobic literally translates to “relating to a fear of the marketplace.”

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

• claustrophobic
• hydrophobic
• lyophobic
• photophobic
• transphobic
• xenophobic

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

• -philic
• -phone
• -phony
• -phore

Break it down!

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