Phobia Definition

fōbē-ə
phobias
noun
phobias
An irrational, excessive, and persistent fear of some particular thing or situation.
Webster's New World
A strong fear, dislike, or aversion.
American Heritage Medicine

An irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety, usually of or about something particular.

I know someone with a strange phobia of ladders.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
suffix
An intense, abnormal, or illogical fear of a specified thing.
Xenophobia.
American Heritage
Controversially used to form nouns meaning hate, born out of fear, directed towards a particular type of person.
Wiktionary
Controversially used to form nouns meaning political or religious organizations or viewpoints concerned with limiting or restraining a specific thing or idea.
Wiktionary
affix
Fear, dread, or hatred of.
Photophobia, Russophobia.
Webster's New World
other
See Category:en:Phobias.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Phobia

Noun

Singular:
phobia
Plural:
phobias

Origin of Phobia

  • c 1790, from words ending in -phobia, from Ancient Greek φόβος (phobos, “fear"). Compare ism, from -ism, itis, from -itis, and ana, from -ana.

    From Wiktionary

  • From New Latin, from Latin, from Ancient Greek -φοβία (-phobia) (see ὑδροφοβία (hydrophobia, “fear of water")), from φόβος (phobos, “fear").

    From Wiktionary

  • Late Latin from Greek -phobiā from phobos fear bhegw- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Gr -phobia < phobos, fear: see -phobe

    From Webster's New World College Dictionary, 5th Edition

  • From –phobia

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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