PHOBIA Definition & Meaning

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phobia

[ foh-bee-uh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an intense, persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, situation, or person that manifests in physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath, and that motivates avoidance behavior.
an aversion toward, dislike of, or disrespect for a thing, idea, person, or group.

-phobia

a combining form meaning “fear,” occurring in loanwords from Greek ( hydrophobia ); on this model, used in the names of anxiety disorders that have the general sense “dread of, aversion toward” that specified by the initial element ( agoraphobia ); on the same model, used in words that name hostility toward a thing or idea, or a specific group, with the sense “antipathy toward or dislike of, disrespect or disdain for” the object or people specified by the initial element ( technophobia ; xenophobia ).

-phobia

combining form

indicating an extreme abnormal fear of or aversion to
claustrophobia
acrophobia

phobia

/ ˈ��əʊ��ɪə /

noun

psychiatry an abnormal intense and irrational fear of a given situation, organism, or object

phobia

An extreme and often unreasonable fear of some object, concept, situation, or person.

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Derived Forms

-phobic, combining_form:in_adjective

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of phobia¹

First recorded in 1780–90; extracted from nouns ending in -phobia

Origin of phobia²

From Latin, from Greek, equivalent to -phob(os) “panic fear” + -ia noun suffix; -phobe, -ia

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of phobia¹

via Latin from Greek, from phobos fear

Origin of phobia²

C19: from Greek phobos fear

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

One of the favorite pseudo-intellectuals of the movement, Curtis Yarvin, sneeringly calls it "dictator phobia" to argue that government should depend on the will of the people, dismissing democracy as outdated and inefficient.

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She thinks the idea of banning adverts showing models with bigger bodies is a symptom of society's "fat phobia".

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That hasn’t stopped a torrent of fat phobia and often frankly hateful cultural attitudes towards weight the drugs have helped fuel, despite having benefits and risks like any other medication.

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“The definition of ‘phobia’ is the extreme or irrational fear of something,” Neal patiently explains while continuing to make breakfast.

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A Swedish minister's phobia of bananas has reportedly led to government officials asking for rooms to be free of the fruit.

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