homophobia

ho·mo·pho·bia | \ ˌhō-mə-ˈfō-bē-ə

How to pronounce homophobia (audio)

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Definition of homophobia

: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals

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Examples of homophobia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web If passed, Switzerland would join a handful of other European nations like Denmark and the Netherlands where homophobia is a criminal offense. — Helena Bachmann, USA TODAY, "Swiss voters to decide whether homophobia should be a crime," 8 Feb. 2020 Critics — gay and straight — called the show far too cautious, especially at a time when AIDS was becoming a full-blown crisis in America and homophobia was widespread. — BostonGlobe.com, "Jerry Herman, the Broadway composer-lyricist who gave America the rousing, old-fashioned musicals “Hello, Dolly!” and “Mame” in the 1960s and Broadway’s first musical featuring gay lovers, “La Cage aux Folles,” in the 1980s, died Thursday at a hospital in Miami. He was 88.," 31 Dec. 2019 Some academics argue this is due to the homophobia of the time. — Leah Asmelash, CNN, "Gay civil rights leader may finally be pardoned 67 years after he was arrested for having sex with men," 23 Jan. 2020 With rural roots and a certain amount of misogyny and homophobia seemingly baked in, much of the wrestling circuit is a dangerous place to be trans. — San Francisco Chronicle, "Wrestler Drugz Bunny prepares to enter the ring during a Hoodslam event at Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland.," 18 Jan. 2020 To imply that this word is not strongly tied to homophobia is either wholly naïve or purposefully misleading and ahistorical. — Mikelle Street, Teen Vogue, "Nicki Minaj Is Being Accused of Queerphobia On Her New Album "Queen"," 13 Aug. 2018 Critics — gay and straight — called the show far too cautious, especially at a time when AIDS was becoming a full-blown crisis in America and homophobia was widespread. — BostonGlobe.com, "Jerry Herman, the Broadway composer-lyricist who gave America the rousing, old-fashioned musicals “Hello, Dolly!” and “Mame” in the 1960s and Broadway’s first musical featuring gay lovers, “La Cage aux Folles,” in the 1980s, died Thursday at a hospital in Miami. He was 88.," 31 Dec. 2019 Critics — gay and straight — called the show far too cautious, especially at a time when AIDS was becoming a full-blown crisis in America and homophobia was widespread. — Robert D. Mcfadden, New York Times, "Jerry Herman, Composer of ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and Other Broadway Hits, Dies at 88," 27 Dec. 2019 Those of us in the LGBTQ community most certainly were aware of his trans and homophobia long long ago. — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, "2019’s most commented stories on Ars Technica—and their top comments!," 25 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'homophobia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Homophobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homophobia. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020.

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