phobia

1 of 2

noun

pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə 

: an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation

-phobia

2 of 2

noun combining form

1

: exaggerated fear of

acrophobia

2

: intolerance or aversion for

photophobia

Examples of phobia in a Sentence

Noun

His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Althea Soft conducted search engine analysis into the phobia between November 2022 and October 2024. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025

Their findings, published in the journal BMC Oral Health, suggest that the phobia isn’t necessarily tied directly to the dentist’s chair. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 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

Her phobia grew with her, shaping daily life in subtle but significant ways. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

-phobia

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Late Latin, from Greek, from -phobos fearing, from phobos fear, flight, from phebesthai to flee; akin to Lithuanian bėgti to flee, Old Church Slavic běžati

First Known Use

Noun

1786, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for phobia

• agoraphobia
• claustrophobia
• homophobia
• hydrophobia
• photophobia
• xenophobia
• rhizobia
• phobia

Kids Definition

phobia

noun

pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə 

: an unreasonable, abnormal, and lasting fear of something

Medical Definition

phobia

noun

pho·​bia ˈfō-bē-ə 

: an exaggerated and often disabling fear usually inexplicable to the subject and having sometimes a logical but usually an illogical or symbolic object, class of objects, or situation compare compulsion, obsession