Dictionary

phobia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• fōbēə
• /ˈfoʊ.bi.ə/ (General-American)
• /ˈfəʊ.bi.ə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

First attested in c. 1790, from words ending in -phobia, ultimately from Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, “fear”). Compare ism, from -ism, itis, from -itis, and ana, from -ana.

Meanings

1. An irrational, abnormal, or obsessive fear (of something).
   • I know someone with a strange phobia of ladders.
   • It was when anthropophobia set in, when he was made uneasy by people who walked too close to him, that, sagely viewing his list and seeing how many phobias were now checked, he permitted himself to rest. 1925, Sinclair Lewis, Arrowsmith:
2. An aversion or dislike (of something).
   • Some patients have the phobia of light, and others have the phobia of darkness. Another common aversion is that of high places. The phobiac of this type can not sit in the gallery […] 1914, McClure's Magazine, page 140:
   • For as interviewer Than Win Htut expressed it, “misunderstandings about, and phobia of, gay life and homosexuality are very common in Burma.” Than Win Htut went on to observe that in Burma[…] 2009 June 14, Michael G. Peletz, Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times, Routledge, →ISBN, page 162:
   • For some children and their parents, however, it can be difficult to determine when fears are typical and when they are developing into more serious phobias or anxiety disorders. […] But once fears become debilitating or impair daily function, they can be classified as a phobia or anxiety disorder, said Thomas Ollendick, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Virginia Tech, who is known for his work with children and adolescents. 2025 February 5, Julianna Bragg, “Does my child have an anxiety disorder? Here are the signs parents should look out for”, in CNN:

Forms

Deriveds

counterphobia · phobiac · phobanthropy · social phobia · phobian · specific phobia · phobist · pithecophobia · phobic · phobiaphobia · pseudophobia

Relateds

-phobic · -phobia · -phobiac · -phobe

Translations (87)

vi hội chứng sợ (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sk fóbia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · eo fobio (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · tg ҳарос (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · la phobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ca fòbia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · mi mae (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sv fobi (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ka ფობია (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · is fælni (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · cmn 恐懼症 /恐惧症 (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · pl fobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · he פוֹבְּיָה (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · de Phobie (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ms fobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · mk фо́бија (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · fa-ira هَراس (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · it fobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · id pobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ru боя́знь (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · tl takot (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · hi भीति (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · th โรคกลัว (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · tg тарс (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · hy ֆոբիա (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · pt fobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · hi फ़ोबिया (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · nb fobi (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · nl fobie (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ar رُهَاب (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · kk фобия (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · be фо́бія (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · mi mate mae (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ka შიში (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · cs fobie (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sl fobija (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ar فُوبِيَا (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · km ការភ័យខ្លាច (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · vi ám ảnh sợ (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · acw رهاب (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · bg фо́бия (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · tl pobya (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · lv fobija (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · af fobie (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ro fobie (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · hi फोबिया (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · tk fobiýa (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · co fubìa (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sh fòbija (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · es fobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · fa-ira فوبْیا (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · acw فوبيا (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · co fubia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sc fobìa (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · tr fobi (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · fi fobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · el φοβία (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · az fobiya (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · da fobi (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · id fobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · lt fobija (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · et foobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · tg фобия (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · hu fóbia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · it paura (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · uk фо́бія (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ko 공포증 (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · mr भीति (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ug قورقۇش (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ky фобия (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ru фо́бия (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sv skräck (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · te భయము (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · fr phobie (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · uz fobiya (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · it timore (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · kk қорқу (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · fa-ira تَرْس (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · id fobi (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · th โฟเบีย (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sh фо̀бија (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ga fóibe (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · sq fobi (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · cy ffobia (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · fi määräkohteinen pelko (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · ja 恐怖症 (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety) · uz qoʻrquv (irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety)