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. The suffix is antonymic to -phil-.

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.

A large number of -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.

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.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

A

• Ablutophobia – fear of bathing, washing, or cleaning
• Acousticophobia – fear of noise – a branch of phonophobia
• Acrophobia – fear of heights
• Agoraphobia – fear of open places
• Agraphobia – fear of sexual abuse
• Agrizoophobia – fear of wild animals, a branch of zoophobia
• Agyrophobia – fear of crossing the street
• Aichmophobia – fear of sharp or pointed objects (such as a needle or knife)
• Ailurophobia – fear of cats
• Algophobia – fear of pain
• Amaxophobia, ochophobia, motorphobia, hamaxophobia – fear of riding in a car
• Amychophobia – fear of being scratched
• Androphobia - fear of adult men^[3]
• Anthophobia – fear of flowers
• Anthropophobia – fear of people or the company of people, a form of social phobia
• Antlophobia – fear of floods
• 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
• Astraphobia – fear of thunder and lightning
• Atelophobia – fear of not being good enough or imperfection
• Atychiphobia, kakorrhaphiophobia – fear of failure
• Automatonophobia – fear of anything that falsely represents a sentient being
• Autophobia – fear of isolation^[4]
• Aviophobia, aviatophobia – fear of flying

B

• Barophobia – fear of gravity
• Bathmophobia – fear of stairs or slopes
• Blood-injection-injury type phobia – a DSM-IV subtype of specific phobias

C

• Chaetophobia – fear of hair
• Chemophobia – fear of chemicals
• Chiroptophobia – fear of bats
• Chlorophobia – fear of the color green^[5]
• Chromophobia, chromatophobia – fear of colors
• Chronophobia – fear of time and time moving forward
• Chrysophobia – fear of the color orange^[5]
• Cibophobia, sitophobia – aversion to food, synonymous to anorexia nervosa
• Claustrophobia – fear of having no escape and being closed in
• Cleithrophobia – fear of being trapped^[6]
• Climacophobia – fear of climbing
• Coimetrophobia – fear of cemeteries
• Colorphobia - fear or a strong aversion towards a particular color
• Coprophobia - fear of feces or defecation^[3]
• Coulrophobia – fear of clowns (not restricted to evil clowns)
• Cyanophobia – fear of the color blue^[5]
• Cyberphobia – fear of or aversion to computers and of learning new technologies
• Cynophobia – fear of dogs

D

• Decidophobia – fear of making decisions
• Dementophobia - fear of becoming insane
• Demonophobia, daemonophobia – fear of demons
• Dendrophobia – see hylophobia
• Dentophobia, odontophobia – fear of dentists and dental procedures
• Dysmorphophobia, or body dysmorphic disorder – a phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defect

E

• Ecclesiophobia – fear of churches
• Eurotophobia - fear of female genitals
• Eleutherophobia - fear of freedom
• Emetophobia – fear of vomiting
• Enochlophobia – fear of crowds
• 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

F

• Frigophobia – fear of becoming too cold

G

• Gamophobia - fear of cohabitation, marriage or nuptials
• Gelotophobia – fear of being laughed at
• Gephyrophobia – fear of bridges
• Genophobia, coitophobia – fear of sexual intercourse
• 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
• Gynophobia – fear of women

H

• Halitophobia – fear of bad breath
• Haphephobia – fear of being touched
• Harpaxophobia – fear of being robbed
• Hedonophobia - fear of obtaining pleasure
• Heliophobia – fear of the sun or sunlight
• Hemophobia, haemophobia – fear of blood
• Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia – fear of the number 666
• Hoplophobia – fear of firearms
• Hylophobia, dendrophobia – fear of trees, forests or wood
• Hypnophobia, somniphobia – fear of sleep

I

• Ichthyophobia – fear of fish, including fear of eating fish, or fear of dead fish

K

• Kinetophobia, kinesophobia – fear of movement
• Kleptophobia, cleptophobia – fear of stealing or being robbed
• Koinoniphobia – fear of rooms or shared spaces
• Koumpounophobia – fear of buttons^[7]

L

• Leukophobia – fear of the color white
• Lilapsophobia – fear of tornadoes or hurricanes

M

• Macrophobia - fear of waiting
• Mechanophobia – fear of machines
• Melanophobia – fear of the color black
• Melissophobia – fear of bees
• Methyphobia – fear of alcohol
• 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 – fear of newness, novelty
• 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

• Oikophobia – fear of home surroundings and household appliances
• Omphalophobia – fear of navels
• Oneirophobia – fear of dreams
• Ophthalmophobia – fear of being stared at
• Osmophobia, olfactophobia – fear of odors

P

• Panphobia – fear of everything or constant fear of an unknown cause
• Parasitophobia – delusion of having a parasite infestation (Delusional parasitosis)
• Peniaphobia – fear of poverty
• Pediophobia – fear of dolls (a branch of automatonophobia: fear of humanoid figures)
• 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 – fear of pornography
• Prosophobia – fear of progress
• Pupaphobia – fear of puppets
• Pyrophobia – fear of fire

R

• Radiophobia – fear of radioactivity or X-rays

S

• Sanguivoriphobia – fear of vampires
• Scriptophobia – fear of writing in public or of trying to write
• 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
• Spectrophobia – fear of mirrors
• Stasiphobia – fear of standing or walking
• Stygiophobia, stigiophobia, hadephobia – fear of Hell

T

• Taphophobia, taphephobia – fear of the grave, 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
• Tetraphobia – fear of the number 4
• Thalassophobia – fear of the sea, or fear of being in the ocean
• Thanatophobia – fear of dying
• Theophobia – fear of religion or gods
• Thermophobia – fear of heat
• Tokophobia – fear of childbirth or pregnancy
• 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,^[8] 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^[9]
• Turophobia – fear of cheese^{[10][11][12][13]}
• Tyrannophobia - fear of an oligarchy or dictatorship

U

• Uranophobia, ouranophobia – fear of Heaven

W

• Workplace phobia – fear of the workplace

X

• Xanthophobia – fear of the color yellow
• Xenophobia – fear of strangers, foreigners, or aliens
• Xylophobia, hylophobia, ylophobia – fear of trees, forests or wood

Animal phobias

• Agrizoophobia – fear of wild animals
• Ailurophobia – fear/dislike of cats
• Apiphobia – fear/dislike of bees (also known as melissophobia, from the Greek melissa "bee")
• 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
• Equinophobia, hippophobia – fear/dislike of horses
• Herpetophobia – fear/dislike of reptiles or amphibians
• Ichthyophobia – fear/dislike of fish
• Murophobia – fear/dislike of mice or rats
• Ophidiophobia – fear/dislike of snakes
• Ornithophobia – fear/dislike of birds
• Ranidaphobia – fear/dislike of frogs
• Scoleciphobia – fear of worms
• Selachophobia – fear of sharks
• 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

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
• Atheophobia – fear/dislike of atheists
• Biphobia – fear/dislike of bisexuality or bisexuals
• Christianophobia – fear/dislike of Christians
• Ephebiphobia – fear/dislike of youth
• Germanophobia – fear/dislike of Germans
• Gerontophobia, gerascophobia – fear/dislike of aging or the elderly
• Heterophobia – fear/dislike of heterosexuals
• Hinduphobia - fear/dislike of Hindus
• Hispanophobia – fear/dislike of Hispanic people, Hispanic culture and the Spanish language
• Homophobia – fear/dislike of homosexuality, homosexuals, or gays (as opposed to lesbians)
• Indophobia - fear/dislike of India or Indian culture
• Islamophobia – fear/dislike of Muslims
• Judeophobia – fear/dislike of Jews
• Lesbophobia – fear/dislike of lesbians
• Negrophobia – fear/dislike of black people
• Nipponophobia – fear/dislike of the Japanese
• Koryophobia – fear/dislike of the Koreans
• Pedophobia – fear/dislike of children
• Polonophobia – fear/dislike of the Polish
• Psychophobia – fear/dislike of mental illness or the mentally ill
• Russophobia – fear/dislike of Russians
• Shiaphobia - fear/dislike of Shiites
• Sinophobia – fear/dislike of Chinese people
• Sunniphobia - fear/dislike of Sunnis
• Transphobia – fear/dislike of transgender people
• Turcophobia – fear/dislike of Turks
• Xenophobia – fear/dislike of foreigners or extraterrestrials

See also

• List of paraphilias

References

1. The A- Z of Fear, an 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. Robert Jean Campbell (2009). Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary. Oxford University Press. pp. 375–. ISBN 978-0-19-534159-1.
4. Gould, Dr. George Milbry (1910). The Practitioner's Medical Dictionary (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: P. Blackiston's Son & Co. p. 100.
5. "The Absolutely Scariest Colors Imaginable". Colour Lover. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
6. Lisa Fritscher (7 January 2013). "Cleithrophobia". About.com. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
7. Moye, David (29 June 2012). "Hannah Matthews Suffers From Koumpounophobia Or 'Button Phobia' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
8. 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. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
9. Thomas, Gregory (15 October 2012). "Do holes make you queasy or even fearful". The Daily Herald (Arlington, IL). Retrieved 26 August 2013.
10. Schoenborn, Barry; Snyder, Richard (2012). Physician Assistant Exam For Dummies. For Dummies. p. 238. ISBN 1-118-11556-2.
11. Kesterton, Michael (17 April 2009). "Social Studies". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
12. "This woman is deathly afraid of cheese, so keep the Brie at bay". MSN. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
13. Laudan, Rachel; Hayes, Dayle (2009). Food and Nutrition: Calories to energy drinks. Marshall Cavendish. p. 201. ISBN 0-7614-7821-3.
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.

External links

• The Phobia List
• Fear of...
• Nursing Degree Guide