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
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Recent Examples of phobic
Conway is mousy, phobic of plane travel, and loves her parents and her cat, a Scottish Fold named Alfie.
—
Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
At a time when many filmmakers are paranoically spoiler-phobic, director Daniel Goldhaber doesn’t mind if audiences know the outcome of his new movie going in.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2023
According To Your Zodiac Sign Nevertheless, because Gemini is so mutable (and, uh, commitment-phobic) this pair might have some trouble locking down the relationship.
—Women's Health, 14 Mar. 2023
But as Americans became more health-conscious (or fat-phobic, depending on your POV), fondue fell out of favor.
—Michelle Tchea, Bon Appétit, 14 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for phobic
Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2024
At a time when many filmmakers are paranoically spoiler-phobic, director Daniel Goldhaber doesn’t mind if audiences know the outcome of his new movie going in.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2023
According To Your Zodiac Sign Nevertheless, because Gemini is so mutable (and, uh, commitment-phobic) this pair might have some trouble locking down the relationship.
—Women's Health, 14 Mar. 2023
But as Americans became more health-conscious (or fat-phobic, depending on your POV), fondue fell out of favor.
—Michelle Tchea, Bon Appétit, 14 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for phobic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobic
Adjective
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Too often, people are afraid to raise their hands for help.—
Nell Derick Debevoise,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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Hairston impressed at the combine in Indianapolis by running a 4.28 40-yard dash and has the speed to keep everything in front while not being afraid to get physical.—
Bryce Lazenby,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Bears should be hoping other teams are scared off by Campbell’s shorter-than-ideal arms.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2025
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But much of the problem then was that Europeans were simply not scared enough to do their part.—
Barry R. Posen,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Others are worried about the fate of the Smithsonian more broadly.—
Deborah Barfield Berry,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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An overwhelming 92 percent are worried about a potential recession in 2025.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In general at the N4G summit, and in particular at a side event at the Brazilian embassy themed around food systems and climate change, discussions of climate change were timid about mentioning industrial livestock’s role in land-use change.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Wu was seen as timid at the beginning of the migrant crisis, staying in the background while Healey seized a Roxbury community rec center as a migrant shelter.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
25 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phobic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobic. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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