List of phobias

The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (from Greek φόβος phobos, "fear") occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, abnormal, unwarranted, persistent, or disabling fear as a mental disorder (e.g. agoraphobia), in chemistry to describe chemical aversions (e.g. hydrophobic), in biology to describe organisms that dislike certain conditions (e.g. acidophobia), and in medicine to describe hypersensitivity to a stimulus, usually sensory (e.g. photophobia). In common usage, they also form words that describe dislike or hatred of a particular thing or subject (e.g. homophobia). The suffix is antonymic to -phil-.

"-phobia" redirects here. For the class of psychological disorders, see Phobia.

For more information on the psychiatric side, including how psychiatry groups phobias such as agoraphobia, social phobia, or simple phobia, see phobia. The following lists include words ending in -phobia, and include fears that have acquired names. In some cases, the naming of phobias has become a word game, of notable example being a 1998 humorous article published by BBC News.[1] In some cases, a word ending in -phobia may have an antonym with the suffix -phil-, e.g. Germanophobe/Germanophile.

Many -phobia lists circulate on the Internet, with words collected from indiscriminate sources, often copying each other. Also, a number of psychiatric websites exist that at the first glance cover a huge number of phobias, but in fact use a standard text to fit any phobia and reuse it for all unusual phobias by merely changing the name. Sometimes it leads to bizarre results, such as suggestions to cure "prostitute phobia".[2] Such practice is known as content spamming and is used to attract search engines.

An article published in 1897 in American Journal of Psychology noted "the absurd tendency to give Greek names to objects feared (which, as Arndt says, would give us such terms as klopsophobia – fear of thieves, triakaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13....".[3]

Psychological conditions

Specialists may prefer to avoid the suffix -phobia and use more descriptive terms such as personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and avoidant personality disorder. Terms should strictly have a Greek prefix although many are irregularly formed with Latin or even English prefixes. Many use inaccurate or imprecise prefixes, such as aerophobia (fear of air) for fear of flying.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
A
  • Achluophobia - fear of darkness
  • Acousticophobia – fear of noise – a branch of phonophobia
  • Acrophobia – fear of heights
  • Aerophobia – fear of aircraft or flying
  • Agoraphobia – fear of open places
  • Agyrophobia – fear of crossing streets
  • Aichmophobia – fear of sharp or pointed objects such as a needle or knife
  • Ailurophobia – fear of cats
  • Algophobia – fear of pain
  • Ancraophobia – fear of wind or drafts
  • Androphobia – fear of adult men[4]
  • Aphenphosmphobia - fear of being touched
  • Aquaphobia – fear of water. Distinct from hydrophobia, a scientific property that makes chemicals averse to interaction with water, as well as an archaic name for rabies
  • Arachnophobia – fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions
  • Astraphobia – fear of thunder and lightning
  • Atelophobia - fear of imperfection
  • Autophobia – fear of isolation[5]

B

  • Bacteriophobia - fear of bacteria
  • Basophobia, basiphobia – fear associated with astasia-abasia (fear of walking/standing erect) and a fear of falling
  • Batrachophobia - fear of amphibians
  • Belonephobia - fear of needles
  • Bibliophobia - fear of books
  • Blood-injection-injury type phobia – a DSM-IV subtype of specific phobias

C

  • Cacophobia, aschimophobia - fear of ugliness
  • Carcinophobia – fear of cancer
  • Catoptrophobia - fear of mirrors
  • Chemophobia – fear of chemicals
  • Cherophobia – fear of happiness
  • Chiroptophobia – fear of bats
  • Chromophobia, chromatophobia – fear of colors
  • Chronophobia – fear of time and time moving forward
  • Chronomentrophobia - fear of clocks
  • Cibophobia, sitophobia – aversion to food, synonymous with anorexia nervosa
  • Claustrophobia – fear of having no escape and being closed in
  • Coimetrophobia – fear of cemeteries
  • Colorphobia – chromophobia
  • Coprophobia – fear of feces or defecation[4]
  • Coulrophobia – fear of clowns
  • Cyberphobia - fear of computers
  • Cynophobia – fear of dogs

D

  • Demonophobia, daemonophobia – fear of demons
  • Dendrophobia - fear of trees
  • Dental fear, odontophobia – fear of dentists and dental procedures
  • Dentophobia - fear of dentists
  • Domatophobia - fear of houses
  • Dysmorphophobia, body dysmorphic disorder – a phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defect

E

  • Ecophobia - fear of the home
  • Eisoptrophobia – fear of mirrors or seeing one's reflection in a mirror[6][7]
  • Emetophobia – fear of vomiting
  • Enochlophobia – fear of crowds
  • Entomophobia - fear of insects
  • Ephebiphobia – fear of youth; inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterization of young people
  • Equinophobia - fear of horses
  • Ergophobia, ergasiophobia – fear of work or functioning, or a surgeon's fear of operating
  • Erotophobia – fear of sexual love or sexual abuse
  • Erythrophobia, erytophobia, ereuthophobia – fear of the color red, or fear of blushing
  • Eurotophobia – aversion to female genitals

F

  • Frigophobia – fear of becoming too cold

G

  • Gamophobia - fear of marriage
  • Gelotophobia – fear of being laughed at
  • Gephyrophobia – fear of bridges
  • Genophobia, coitophobia – fear of sexual intercourse
  • Genuphobia – fear of knees or the act of kneeling
  • Gerascophobia – fear of growing old or aging
  • Gerontophobia – fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly
  • Globophobia – fear of balloons
  • Glossophobia – fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak
  • Gymnophobia – fear of nudity[8]
  • Gynophobia – fear of women

H

  • Halitophobia – fear of bad breath
  • Haphephobia – fear of being touched
  • Hedonophobia – fear of obtaining pleasure
  • Heliophobia – fear of the sun or sunlight
  • Hemophobia, haemophobia – fear of blood
  • Herpetophobia - fear of reptiles
  • Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia – fear of the number 666
  • Hodophobia – fear of travel
  • Hoplophobia – fear of firearms
  • Hydrophobia - fear of water, see aquaphobia
  • Hypnophobia, somniphobia – fear of sleep or nightmares[9]
  • Hypochondria - fear of illness

I

  • Ichthyophobia – fear of fish, including fear of eating fish, or fear of dead fish
  • Insectophobia - fear of insects

K

  • Koumpounophobia – fear of buttons[10]

L

  • Lilapsophobia – fear of tornadoes or hurricanes

M

  • Mageirocophobia – fear of cooking
  • Melanophobia – fear of the color black
  • Melissophobia, apiphobia – fear of bees
  • Monophobia – fear of being alone or isolated or of one's self
  • Musophobia, murophobia, suriphobia – fear of mice or rats
  • Myrmecophobia – fear of ants
  • Mysophobia – fear of germs, contamination or dirt

N

  • Necrophobia – fear of death or the dead
  • Neophobia, cainophobia, cainotophobia, centophobia, kainolophobia, kainophobia, metathesiophobia, prosophobia – fear of newness, novelty, change or progress
  • Noctiphobia - fear of the night
  • Nomophobia – fear of being out of mobile phone contact
  • Nosocomephobia – fear of hospitals
  • Nosophobia – fear of contracting a disease
  • Nostophobia, ecophobia – fear of returning home
  • Numerophobia – fear of numbers
  • Nyctophobia, achluophobia, lygophobia, scotophobia – fear of darkness

O

  • Obesophobia - fear of gaining weight
  • Oikophobia – fear of home surroundings and household appliances
  • Odontophobia – dental fear
  • Oneirophobia – fear of dreams
  • Ophidiophobia – fear of snakes
  • Ophthalmophobia – fear of being stared at
  • Ornithophobia - fear of birds
  • Osmophobia, olfactophobia – fear of odors

P

  • Panphobia – fear of everything or constant fear of an unknown cause
  • Pedophobia, paedophobia, pediaphobia – fear of babies and children
  • Phagophobia – fear of swallowing
  • Phallophobia – fear of erections
  • Pharmacophobia – fear of medications
  • Phasmophobia – fear of ghosts or phantoms
  • Philophobia – fear of love
  • Phobophobia – fear of fear itself or of having a phobia
  • Phonophobia – fear of loud sounds or voices
  • Pogonophobia – fear of beards
  • Pornophobia – dislike or fear of pornography; may be used in reference to the opposition to visual nudity
  • Porphyrophobia - fear of the color purple
  • Pteromerhanophobia - fear of flying
  • Pyrophobia – fear of fire

R

  • Radiophobia – fear of radioactivity or X-rays
  • Roller coaster phobia – fear of roller coasters

S

  • Scopophobia – fear of being looked at or stared at
  • Sexophobia – fear of sexual organs or sexual activities
  • Siderodromophobia – fear of trains or railroads
  • Sociophobia – fear of people or social situations
  • Somniphobia - fear of sleep
  • Spectrophobia – fear of mirrors
  • Stasiphobia – fear of standing or walking

T

  • Taphophobia, taphephobia – fear of graves, or fear of being placed in a grave while still alive
  • Technophobia – fear of advanced technology (see also Luddite)
  • Telephone phobia – fear or reluctance of making or taking telephone calls
  • Teratophobia – fear of disfigured people
  • Tetraphobia – fear of the number 4
  • Thalassophobia – fear of the sea, or fear of being in the ocean
  • Thanatophobia – fear of dying
  • Thermophobia – intolerance to high temperatures
  • Tokophobia – fear of childbirth or pregnancy
  • Tomophobia - fear of invasive medical procedure[11]
  • Tonitrophobia - fear of thunder
  • Toxiphobia – fear of being poisoned
  • Traumatophobia – a synonym for injury phobia: fear of having an injury
  • Trichophobia – delusional fear of something in the roots of the hair that stops it from growing,[12] or fear of hair loss
  • Triskaidekaphobia, terdekaphobia – fear of the number 13
  • Trypanophobia, belonephobia, enetophobia – fear of needles or injections
  • Trypophobia – fear of holes or textures with a pattern of holes[13]

V

W

  • Workplace phobia – fear of the workplace

X

  • Xanthophobia – fear of the color yellow
  • Xenophobia – fear of strangers, foreigners, or aliens

Animal phobias
  • Ailurophobia – fear/dislike of cats
  • Arachnophobia – fear/dislike of spiders and other arachnids
  • Batrachophobia – fear/dislike of frogs and other amphibians
  • Chiroptophobia – fear/dislike of bats
  • Cynophobia – fear/dislike of dogs
  • Entomophobia – fear/dislike of insects
  • Helminthophobia – fear of worms
  • Herpetophobia – fear/dislike of reptiles or amphibians
  • Hippophobia – fear/dislike of horses
  • Ichthyophobia – fear/dislike of fish
  • Melissophobia, apiphobia – fear/dislike of bees
  • Murophobia – fear/dislike of mice or rats
  • Ophidiophobia – fear/dislike of snakes
  • Ornithophobia - fear of birds
  • Ostraconophobia – fear/dislike of shellfish
  • Ranidaphobia – fear/dislike of frogs
  • Scoleciphobia – fear of worms
  • Spheksophobia – fear of wasps
  • Zoophobia – fear of animals

Non-psychological conditions
  • Bibliophobia – fear or hatred of books, as a cultural phenomenon[14]
  • Hoplophobia – a political term for fear of weapons, specifically firearms
  • Lipophobia – avoidance of fats in food[15][16][17] ()
  • Osmophobia – hypersensitivity to smells causing aversion to odors
  • Phonophobia – hypersensitivity to sound causing aversion to sounds
  • Photophobia – hypersensitivity to light causing aversion to light

Biology, chemistry

Biologists use a number of -phobia/-phobic terms to describe predispositions by plants and animals against certain conditions. For antonyms, see here

  • Acidophobia/acidophobic – preference for non-acidic conditions
  • Heliophobia/heliophobic – aversion to sunlight
  • Hydrophobia/hydrophobic – a property of being repelled by water
  • Lipophobicity – a property of fat rejection (sometimes also called lipophobia)
  • Oleophobicity – a property of oil rejection
  • Photophobia (biology) – a negative phototaxis or phototropism response, or a tendency to stay out of the light
  • Superhydrophobe – the property given to materials that are extremely difficult to get wet
  • Thermophobia – aversion to heat

Prejudices and discrimination

Racist and xenophobic sentiments

The suffix -phobia is used to coin terms that denote a particular anti-ethnic or anti-demographic sentiment, such as Americanophobia, Europhobia, Francophobia, Hispanophobia, and Indophobia. Often a synonym with the prefix "anti-" already exists (e.g. Polonophobia vs. anti-Polonism). Anti-religious sentiments are expressed in terms such as Christianophobia and Islamophobia.

Other prejudices include:

  • Albanophobia – fear/dislike of Albanians
  • Anglophobia – fear/dislike of England or English culture
  • Christianophobia – fear/dislike of Christians
  • Germanophobia – fear/dislike of Germans
  • Hinduphobia – fear/dislike of Hindus
  • Hispanophobia – fear/dislike of Hispanic people, Hispanic culture and the Spanish language
  • Indophobia – fear/dislike of India or Indian culture
  • Islamophobia – fear/dislike of Muslims
  • Judeophobia – fear/dislike of Jews
  • Lusophobia – fear/dislike of the Portuguese, Portuguese culture and the Portuguese language
  • Nipponophobia – fear/dislike of the Japanese
  • Koryophobia – fear/dislike of the Koreans
  • Polonophobia – fear/dislike of the Polish
  • Russophobia – fear/dislike of Russians
  • Shiaphobia – fear/dislike of Shiites
  • Sinophobia – fear/dislike of Chinese people
  • Sunniphobia – fear/dislike of Sunnis
  • Turcophobia – fear/dislike of Turks
  • Xenophobia – fear/dislike of foreigners

Prejudices against other categories of people
  • Biphobia – fear/dislike of bisexuality or bisexuals
  • Ephebiphobia – fear/dislike of youth
  • Gerontophobia, gerascophobia – fear/dislike of aging or the elderly
  • Heterophobia – fear/dislike of heterosexuals
  • Homophobia – fear/dislike of homosexuality, homosexuals, or gays (as opposed to lesbians)
  • Lesbophobia – fear/dislike of lesbians
  • Pedophobia – fear/dislike of babies or children
  • Psychophobia – fear/dislike of mental illness or the mentally ill
  • Transphobia – fear/dislike of transgender people

See also

References
  1. The A–Z of Fear, a 30 October 1998 BBC News unsigned article in the "Entertainment" section
  2. "Content Spammers Help You Overcome Prostitute Phobia". Webpronews.com. 25 August 2005. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. Hall, G. Stanley (1897). "A Study of Fears". American Journal of Psychology. University of Illinois Press. 8 (2): 157. doi:10.2307/1410940. JSTOR 1410940.
  4. Robert Jean Campbell (2009). Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary. Oxford University Press. pp. 375–. ISBN 978-0-19-534159-1.
  5. Gould, Dr. George Milbry (1910). The Practitioner's Medical Dictionary (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: P. Blackiston's Son & Co. p. 100.
  6. David Sue; Derald Wing Sue; Diane M. Sue; Stanley Sue (15 February 2013). Essentials of Understanding Abnormal Behavior. Cengage Learning. pp. 126–. ISBN 978-1-285-62475-4.
  7. William Pitchot (11 September 2014). "Effective Treatment of Eisoptrophobia With Duloxetine: A Case Report". Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 16 (5). doi:10.4088/PCC.14l01636. PMC 4321006. PMID 25667801.
  8. Bullough, Vern L.; Bullough, Bonnie (2014). Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 449. ISBN 9781135825096.
  9. Dunglison, Robert; Dunglison, Richard James (1895). Richard James Dunglison (ed.). A dictionary of medical science: containing a full explanation of the various subjects and terms of anatomy, physiology, ... (21 ed.). Lea Brothers & Co.
  10. Russell, Julia; Lintern, Fiona; Gauntlett, Lizzie (1 September 2016). Cambridge International AS and A Level Psychology Coursebook. Cambridge University Press. p. 144. ISBN 9781316605691. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  11. Schmid, Markus; Wolf, Robert C; Freudenmann, Roland W; Schönfeldt-Lecuona, Carlos (18 November 2009). "Tomophobia, the phobic fear caused by an invasive medical procedure - an emerging anxiety disorder: a case report". Journal of Medical Case Reports. 3: 131. doi:10.1186/1752-1947-3-131. ISSN 1752-1947. PMC 2803803. PMID 20062769.
  12. Basavaraj, K. H.; Navya, M. A; Rashmi, R. (2010). "Relevance of psychiatry in dermatology: Present concepts". Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 52 (3): 270–275. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.70992. ISSN 0019-5545. PMC 2990831. PMID 21180416.
  13. Thomas, Gregory (15 October 2012). "Do holes make you queasy or even fearful". The Daily Herald. Arlington, IL. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  14. Jackson, Holbrook (1932). The Fear of Books. University of Illinois. ISBN 978-0-252-07040-2.
  15. Fischler, C. "From lipophilia to lipophobia. Changing attitudes and behaviors towards fat: a socio-historical approach", in: Dietary fats determinants of preference, selection, and consumption / edited by DJ Mela. London : New York : Elsevier Applied Science, c1992. p. 103-115.
  16. Askegaard, S. Ostberg, J. "Consumers' Experience of Lipophobia: A Swedish Study", Advances in Consume Research, 2003, vol. 30, p. 161
  17. Askegaard, Søren, Holt, Douglas B. Jensen, Anne F. "Lipophobia: A Transatlantic Concept?" Advances in Consume Research, 1999, vol. 26, issue 1 p. 331-336.

Further reading
  • Aldrich, C. (2 December 2002). The Aldrich Dictionary of Phobias and Other Word Families. Trafford Publishing. pp. 224–236. ISBN 1-55369-886-X.
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