germaphobe

Or germ·o·phobe

[jur-muh-fohb]

noun

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of germaphobe¹

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.

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Is he a germaphobe or a control freak?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I’ve been described as a next-level germaphobe.

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Daniels said she told Trump – a noted germaphobe – how often she was tested for STDs.

Read more on Salon

He self-identifies as a “germaphobe” and, in his 1997 book Art of the Comeback, identified himself as “a clean hands freak.”

Read more on Slate

When To Use

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).