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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Recent Examples of phobia
Pulse might even have to take Danny seriously, rather than turning her into a collection of traumas (daddy issues) and phobias (inexplicably afraid of pregnant women).
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
But fire phobia only triggers panic, one that’s currently siphoning billions of tax dollars to log nearly every single national forest, state park, and county open space, likely only increasing the fire danger to communities.
—Josh Schlossberg, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2024
Here’s how to help Distinguishing fear from anxiety disorders or phobias
The first step in addressing an anxiety disorder or phobia is recognizing symptoms that fall outside the boundaries of a common fear.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
The study also found the phobia was more prevalent among women than men.
—Jack Beresford, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phobia
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
But fire phobia only triggers panic, one that’s currently siphoning billions of tax dollars to log nearly every single national forest, state park, and county open space, likely only increasing the fire danger to communities.
—Josh Schlossberg, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2024
Here’s how to help Distinguishing fear from anxiety disorders or phobias
The first step in addressing an anxiety disorder or phobia is recognizing symptoms that fall outside the boundaries of a common fear.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
The study also found the phobia was more prevalent among women than men.
—Jack Beresford, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phobia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobia
Noun
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Yet rather than panic, creators have been quick to adapt.—
Vivian Toh,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Yet the faces and the fashions, not to mention the paranoia and the panic, feel very Seventies.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Izadi had been sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. over his ties to the Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad, which also helped plan the Oct. 7 terror attacks.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
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By the time Jaws’s 45th anniversaries rolled around, society was locked down in the Covid pandemic’s first year, terror gripping communities worldwide.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
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Hot on the heels of a June 10 urgent Google Chrome browser security update, just a week later, the technology behemoth has confirmed yet another security scare that requires users of the world’s most popular web browser across all platforms with the exception of iOS to update now.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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Barby’s road to tryouts in 2024 was made even more complicated by a shocking health scare.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
18 June 2025
Noun
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An earlier 2019 study in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance found turbulence, unfamiliar aircraft noises, and the threat of terror attacks were among the top anxiety triggers.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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Too much attention, often understandably driven by shareholder and financial analyst anxiety, is being placed on the lagging indicators of current performance.—
Paul Laudicina,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Well, consider that, unlike what’s happening in the world at large, the frights and delights inside Viola’s Room are actually fun.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
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Ah well, Cesare already has two sequel novels published, so there’s already plenty more Frendo the Clown frights ready to be harvested.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobia. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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