nosocomephobia

noun

nos·​o·​co·​me·​pho·​bia ˌnä-sə-,kō-mə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce nosocomephobia (audio)
: intense fear of hospitals
For long-term care patients or those with nosocomephobia—the fear of hospitals—nervous lobbies and antiseptic-slathered floors may make it seem as if the perfectly sterile white walls are closing in …Brooke Becher
Richard Nixon had one of the other fears with which many people can identify: nosocomephobia, or a fear of hospitals.Jess Bolluyt
nosocomephobe noun
or nosocomephobic
plural nosocomephobes or nosocomephobics
I'm a bit of a nosocomephobic. I suffer from an irrational fear of hospitals. Brent Schanding
nosocomephobic adjective
nosocomephobic patients

Word History

Etymology

irregularly from Late Latin nosocomium "hospital" + -phobia — more at nosocomial

Note: The regularly formed compound from these elements would be nosocomiophobia, which is occasionally found.

First Known Use

circa 1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nosocomephobia was circa 1958

Dictionary Entries Near nosocomephobia

Cite this Entry

“Nosocomephobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nosocomephobia. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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