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phobic

adjective

Definition of phobicnext
as in afraid
of, relating to, or having an extremely strong fear or dislike of someone or something She is phobic about heights.

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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 phobic To be phobic is to be swayed by not just fear, but irrational fear. — Literary Hub, 24 Mar. 2026 Reshaping ion solvation The researchers used a parasitic salt-phobic polymer network in their electrolyte design, which selectively repels lithium ions while attracting solvent molecules. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 19 Feb. 2026 The emails included instructions for editing email signatures to assist tech-phobic workers. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025 The author has become controversial due to what her critics describe as phobic and abusive anti-transgender views. — Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 20 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for phobic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobic
  1. afraid
  2. scared
  3. terrified
  4. worried
Adjective
  • Some school teachers aren't afraid to reference the meme in class.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
  • In this age of unremitting test screenings and CinemaScore, downer endings typically score lower, so Abrams appreciates that Cregger and Sony weren’t afraid to figuratively twist the knife in the audience.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of afraid
Adjective
  • One dog, Bruce, whose neck was slashed by his owner, spent seven months at the shelter as investigators sought charges, trembling in his kennel and looking scared, according to visitors.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Was that an intentional move to make the Traitors scared to pick her?
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • That hasn’t changed; people are still terrified of me in one way or another.
    — Tiana DeNicola, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Nora was feeling less terrified of her former partner and increasingly hopeful that his abuse was in the past.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrified
Adjective
  • Millions of amateur athletes play tackle football each year, and as evidence mounts at the professional level of the dangers of CTE, parents are increasingly worried about their children going into the sport.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
  • At the start of the novel, when the Koh children, Bo, DH, and Mido, are struggling in Korean schools after years of living abroad, their mother, Helen, gets worried.
    — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of worried

Browse Nearby Words

phobias
phobic
phone
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Cite this Entry

“Phobic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobic. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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