germaphobe

American  

[jur-muh-fohb] / ˈdʒɜr məˌfoʊb /

Or germophobe

noun

1. a person who has an irrational or disproportionate fear of germs and contamination.

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Usage

What does the term germaphobe mean? A germaphobe, also spelled germophobe, is a person who is afraid of germs or preoccupied with cleanliness. Specifically, it can refer to a person who has an obsessive compulsion toward cleanliness to the point that their life is impacted by an urge to constantly clean their hands and living spaces. Germaphobes may or may not have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Other Word Forms

• germaphobia noun
• germaphobic adjective
• germophobia noun
• germophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of germaphobe

First recorded in 1890–1900; germ ( def. ) + -a- connecting vowel + -phobe ( def. )

Example Sentences

They described James as a germaphobe and “nerdy,” a man who could pass for an engineer or computer programmer more easily than an industrial magnate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025

Is he a germaphobe or a control freak?

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2025

"My mum's a germaphobe, so I wrote something the foyer in our house," she laughs, breaking into melody.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2023

In addition, she’s become somewhat of a germaphobe over the last several years, which I’m sure factors into the equation.

From Slate • Feb. 22, 2021

They wear plastic gloves and plastic hairnets that seem a bit too thin for my germaphobe liking.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas