as in panic
an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something
His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of phobia
Her germ phobia may have infected Simone with her lifelong revulsion at bodily contact.
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Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Black Sheep stars Nathan Meister as Henry, a man who grew up on a sheep farm but developed a deep phobia of them.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
What the current vanguard of intensive parenting appears to reflect is a deepening phobia of diminishing returns.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024
In addition to needle phobia, he’s identified several hurdles that stop people from injecting epinephrine sooner.
—Natallie Rocha, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia 
Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Black Sheep stars Nathan Meister as Henry, a man who grew up on a sheep farm but developed a deep phobia of them.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
What the current vanguard of intensive parenting appears to reflect is a deepening phobia of diminishing returns.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024
In addition to needle phobia, he’s identified several hurdles that stop people from injecting epinephrine sooner.
—Natallie Rocha, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobia
Noun
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Perhaps some kids think that creating a national panic could be fun.Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 19 Dec. 2024
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has requested special detection systems for New York and New Jersey after a spate of recent drone sightings spread panic among residents.Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Luigi Mangione already was charged with murder in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson, but the terror allegation is new.Jake Offenhartz and Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Terrifier 3—the shock horror hit where Art the Clown brings terror to the Christmas season—is arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD this week.Tim Lammers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Buffalo Bills 24, New England Patriots 21: The Bills rallied in the second half to avoid an upset scare in cold Orchard Park, New York, against one of the NFL's worst teams.Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
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Despite health scares, Whibley has soldiered on to ensure the farewell tour continues as planned.Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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On one side, parents share haunting stories of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders and blame ...Edward Longe, National Review, 18 Dec. 2024
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Levels of stress, anxiety and depression are already alarmingly high among U.S. adults.Sujay Saha, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Across seven seasons, viewers got a thrilling blend of laughs, frights, and goofy monster fights that felt innovative and transgressive in equal measure.Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2024
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It’s set during a live broadcast of a fictional late-night ’70s show whose affable host, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian), conjures more fun than frights.Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near phobia
Cite this Entry
“Phobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobia. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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