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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobias
Noun
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Women who died in childbirth, young men who died in war, infants who died before baptism—these especially pitiable dead were sometimes thought to become terrors whom the living would need to finish off once and for all.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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What better way to avoid the terrors of Dry January than by sneaking yourself into the cozy snug of The Pub, a compendium of Britain’s quintessential third space.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Knott’s has unveiled its annual Seasons of Fun calendar that includes events dedicated to Peanuts characters, Boysenberry treats, summertime barbecues, Halloween frights and Christmas cheer.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
29 Dec. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Phobias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobias. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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