as in panics
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 phobias
Some dogs are genetically prone to noise phobias, especially breeds such as Border collies or Australian shepherds.
—
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobias
Noun
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Fletcher, who has been touring a number of the world’s hot spots, used his first trip to Haiti to meet with victims of the gangs’ terrors.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
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The violence, however, is nothing compared to the overall creature effects with the show’s new cast of extraterrestrial terrors.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Now, a grown-up Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) faces new and familiar frights after her equally goth daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), opens a portal to the Netherworld and reawakens everyone's favorite pinstriped ghost.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Haunted Scream Park opening weekend 'Tis the season for frights and delights!—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phobias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobias. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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