germophobia
noun
germ·o·pho·bia
ˌjər-mə-ˈfō-bē-ə 
variants
or germaphobia
: abnormal fear of germs or contamination : mysophobia
Trump's well-known germophobia means he won't eat from a cookie packet that has already been opened.—
Daniel Politi
Daniel PolitiAfter several years of gains helped along by germaphobia, sales of household cleaning products rose less than 1.3% during the past year, …—Tom Branna
Tom BrannaExamples of germophobia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And his germophobia?
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2022
Did the germophobia of 2020 constitute mass hysteria, or a rational response to the presence of a highly contagious virus?
—Rebecca Panovka, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
Not even the cooks wear gloves: this is a world without germophobia.
—Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 8 May 2020
Our cultural germophobia often precludes our ability to recognize the naturally transformative and symbiotic properties of microbes from the fermentation of grape juice into wine to their invaluable role in human digestion.
—Anthony Martin, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2016
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2022
Did the germophobia of 2020 constitute mass hysteria, or a rational response to the presence of a highly contagious virus?
—Rebecca Panovka, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
Not even the cooks wear gloves: this is a world without germophobia.
—Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 8 May 2020
Our cultural germophobia often precludes our ability to recognize the naturally transformative and symbiotic properties of microbes from the fermentation of grape juice into wine to their invaluable role in human digestion.
—Anthony Martin, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2016
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'germophobia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near germophobia
Cite this Entry
“Germophobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germophobia. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share