automatonophobia en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree English automaton Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- Proto-Indo-European *bʰegʷ- Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -φοβία (-phobía)der. Latin New Latinbor. English -phobia English automatonophobia From automaton + -o- + -phobia.
Meanings
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(uncountable, usually) Fear of humanlike figures, such as mannequins, wax figures, statues, dummies, animatronics, or robots.
The plot involved angel statues that came alive with demonic faces the instant their victims stopped looking at them. Can I say for certain it gave some kid automatonophobia? No, but I’m glad I didn’t see it when I was six.
2016 March 23, Keith Wagstaff, “Why Do Statues of Humans Terrify Me? An Investigation”, in VICE, archived from the original on 23 Sep 2025:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| automatonophobias | Number=Plur | lexicographic |