phobia

1 of 2

noun

pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə 

: an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation

-phobia

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

: exaggerated fear of

acrophobia

2

: intolerance or aversion for

photophobia

Examples of phobia in a Sentence

Noun

His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Happy memories were pleasant, but others led to phobias (of bird droppings, for instance). —Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024

Luckily, there’s a cure for those suffering from forest fire phobia. —Josh Schlossberg, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2024

Extreme phobia such as Velasquez’s is uncommon, but many people have a general fear of needles that makes vaccinations stressful or even impossible for them. —Stephani Sutherland, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024

Khloé Kardashian, on the other hand, has been waiting much longer between piercings, and in that time has apparently developed a bit of a phobia. —Marci Robin, Allure, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

-phobia

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Late Latin, from Greek, from -phobos fearing, from phobos fear, flight, from phebesthai to flee; akin to Lithuanian bėgti to flee, Old Church Slavic běžati

First Known Use

Noun

1786, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

phobia

noun

pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə 

: an unreasonable, abnormal, and lasting fear of something

Medical Definition

phobia

noun

pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə 

: an exaggerated and often disabling fear usually inexplicable to the subject and having sometimes a logical but usually an illogical or symbolic object, class of objects, or situation compare compulsion, obsession