acrophobia

[ ak-ruh-foh-bee-uh ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of heights:

   I knew my acrophobia would keep me off of the competitive diving platforms, but I was surprised when walking the diving board three feet above the pool deck also terrified me.

acrophobia

/ ˌækrəˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. abnormal fear or dread of being at a great height

acrophobia

1. An abnormal fear of heights.

Derived Forms

• ˌacroˈphobic, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• ac·ro·pho·bic adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of acrophobia¹

First recorded in 1890–95; acro-, -phobia

Word History and Origins

Origin of acrophobia¹

C19: from acro- + -phobia

Example Sentences

No disrespect to anyone who enjoys marveling at feats of human engineering, as well as testing their own acrophobia, with a stroll across the steel arch and cantilevers that make up the two bridges — yes, there are two — spanning Deception Pass and its narrower sibling, Canoe Pass, some 180 feet above Pass Island, which anchors both bridges amid swirling waters.

From Seattle Times

“Acrophobia,” said my friend Paul, “Fear of heights, and the chance I may fall, Has me going half-mad — Things have gotten so bad, I dislike even being this tall!”

From Washington Post

A spinning sensation accompanied my acrophobia.

From Seattle Times

Be it meeting the odd proprietor of the Bates Motel, watching a wheelchair-bound photographer peeping at his terribly naughty neighbors, witnessing a private investigator paralyzed by acrophobia and vertigo while obsessed with his current case or seeing humans surviving in a small beach town as flocks of fowl attack, the set will more than satisfy fans of classic cinema.

From Washington Times

“Did I ever tell you I have acrophobia?”

From Literature