as in panics
an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something
His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of phobias
Are people with extreme anxiety and phobias dangerous to the people around them?
—
Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
This, Wright imagined, was one way Proxi might display its analysis of players’ minds, an aerial map of loves, phobias, triumphs, losses, pets, and near misses plus all the associations connecting them.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Also, those with insect phobias should consider this when planning a visit.
—Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Despite all these benefits, snakes are among humans’ top phobias.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2026
The circumstances made the role ill-suited to Bennett, and everyone knew that Shawn was beset by phobias.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
For people with shark phobias—likely traumatized by movies like Jaws—such advances could help make getting in the water a little easier.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2025
Mindshift - Helps teens and young adults gain insight into and basic skills to manage anxiety, including GAD, social anxiety, specific phobias and panic attacks.
—Cari Shane, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
This one’s closer to immersion therapy for phobias around motherhood, mental health, and emotional maelstroms that refuse to tamed or contained.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
This, Wright imagined, was one way Proxi might display its analysis of players’ minds, an aerial map of loves, phobias, triumphs, losses, pets, and near misses plus all the associations connecting them.
—Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Also, those with insect phobias should consider this when planning a visit.
—Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
Despite all these benefits, snakes are among humans’ top phobias.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 15 Mar. 2026
The circumstances made the role ill-suited to Bennett, and everyone knew that Shawn was beset by phobias.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
For people with shark phobias—likely traumatized by movies like Jaws—such advances could help make getting in the water a little easier.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2025
Mindshift - Helps teens and young adults gain insight into and basic skills to manage anxiety, including GAD, social anxiety, specific phobias and panic attacks.
—Cari Shane, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
This one’s closer to immersion therapy for phobias around motherhood, mental health, and emotional maelstroms that refuse to tamed or contained.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobias
Noun
-
Madonna has made music through various calamities that at the time felt world-ending — wars, political unrest, financial collapse — so the terrors of 2026 don’t seem to faze her.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
The night is dark and full of terrors, but our Instagram account is full of House of the Dragon.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
People went opening weekend to experience the frights in a communal setting.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
Copyright 2025, all frights reserved.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phobias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobias. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
