phobia

1 of 2

noun

pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce phobia (audio)
: 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
In surveys, parents across Ukraine have reported elevated levels of anxiety, excessive fear, phobias and sadness, decreased engagement in school, sensitivity to loud noises and sleep troubles among children. Maryanne Murray Buechner, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Cherniak went on to own comedy clubs in Toronto, hypnotize guests out of their phobias on Maury Povich’s tabloid talk show, and even entertain troops in Afghanistan. Emily Latimer, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2024 The private detective battling severe OCD and a range of phobias is returning for Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie, and Peacock has unveiled the first trailer. Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 8 Nov. 2023 But after decades of avoidance and resignation, McDougall and many others like him are now confronting their phobia. Haley Weiss, TIME, 12 Oct. 2023 The balance between witty humor and monster mayhem is perfectly calibrated, with John Goodman bringing the laughs as a gregarious exterminator and Jeff Daniels providing twitchy paranoia as a small-town doctor with an intense phobia of all things arachnid. Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 If your reaction to rodents seems irrational, talk to a mental health professional about the root of your phobia and what might be done about it. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023 Early Trauma and Rodent Phobia While most of us fear or don’t like small rodents, a smaller portion of us have a phobia that may stem from a childhood trauma that led us to fear rodents into adulthood. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023 These are the 10 films that, in my view, exemplify the central role of cinema in working out our collective neuroses, fears, phobias and socio-political anxieties. Steven Gaydos, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023

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

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 Slavonic běžati

First Known Use

Noun

1786, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of phobia was in 1786

Dictionary Entries Near phobia

Cite this Entry

“Phobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phobia. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

phobia

noun
pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce phobia (audio)
: an unreasonable, abnormal, and lasting fear of something

Medical Definition

phobia

noun
pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce phobia (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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