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
Support for political violence was even higher among individuals who harbored multiple hateful phobias, according to his survey of over 9,300 adults.
—
Juliana Kim, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
Experts at PetMD say that dogs may develop fears or phobias for several reasons.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Juliana Kim, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
Experts at PetMD say that dogs may develop fears or phobias for several reasons.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobias
Noun
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As with many of A24's horror movies, we're left to ponder whether anything supernatural happens as Maud's quest reaches its apotheosis, proving that fanatical belief is enough to inspire great terrors.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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The internet gives us more opportunity to be exposed to noteworthy terrors from other countries.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Audiences just can’t get enough of films that offer frights and scares, or even family-friendly flicks that pay homage to spooky season.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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Horror anthologies are a tradition in British cinema, and this collection of bite-sized frights is the granddaddy of them all.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phobias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobias. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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