germophobe

noun

germ·​o·​phobe ˈjər-mə-ˌfōb How to pronounce germophobe (audio)
variants or germaphobe
plural germophobes or germaphobes
: a person who has an abnormal fear of germs or contamination : one affected with germophobia
No wonder germophobes—including me—are on high alert, viewing every surface as a potentially lethal petri dish.Laura Landro
The stone's actual powers are debatable, but one thing's for sure—the Blarney Stone is a germaphobe's nightmare.Catherine Prince
germophobic adjective
or germaphobic
In a sometimes germophobic society, we spend countless hours and dollars disinfecting surfaces, washing our hands, and taking antibiotics to keep unwelcome bacteria, fungi, and viruses at bay. Jan Suszkiw

Examples of germophobe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All the characters add to the overall narrative, but Steve, a germophobe with OCD, stands out. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 To pump the return of Tony Shalhoub as a beloved germophobe detective in Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, the marketing pros at Peacock had plenty of options, especially on the heels of a pandemic. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2023 Trump is a confessed germophobe. Willie Brown, SFChronicle.com, 3 Oct. 2020 Jack Antonoff has always been a serious, handshake-avoiding, airplane-seat-wiping germophobe, but the past year didn’t phase him much. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2021 The main concern for Dahl, who freely calls himself a germophobe, is his employees' health and safety. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 3 Nov. 2020 All gathered Trump supporters, largely maskless, tightly packed together, and yet the president -- a habitual germophobe even before the pandemic -- always emerged unscathed. Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg.com, 4 Oct. 2020 His voice may carry extra weight in the COVID-19 era, because Mandel is well known as a handshake-avoiding germophobe. Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'germophobe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of germophobe was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near germophobe

Cite this Entry

“Germophobe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germophobe. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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