The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (from Greek , '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-.
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, a notable example being a 1998 humorous article published by BBC News.The A–Z of Fear, a 30 October 1998 BBC News unsigned article in the "Entertainment" section 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". Such practice is known as content spamming and is used to attract search engines.
An article published in 1897 in the 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 and [sic] – fear of the number 13 ...)".
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.
A Phobia ConditionAchluophobiafear of darkness Acousticophobiafear of noise – a branch of phonophobiaAcrophobiafear of heightsAerophobiafear of aircraft or flyingAgoraphobiafear of certain inescapable/unsafe situationsAgyrophobia fear of crossing streetsAichmophobiafear of sharp or pointed objects such as needles, pins or knivesAilurophobiafear/dislike of cats, a zoophobiaAlektorophobiafear/dislike of chickens, a zoophobiaAnatidaephobiafear/dislike of ducks, a zoophobiaAlgophobiafear of painAncraophobiafear of wind or draftsAndrophobiafear of adult menAnthropophobiafear of human beingsApeirophobiaexcessive fear of infinity, eternity, and the uncountableAphenphosmphobiafear of being touchedApiphobiafear of bees, a zoophobiaApotemnophobiafear of amputees or of becoming an amputeeAquaphobiafear of water. Distinct from hydrophobia, a scientific property that makes chemicals averse to interaction with water, as well as an archaic name for rabies.Arachnophobiafear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions, a zoophobiaAstraphobiafear of thunder and lightningAtelophobiafear of imperfection; a synonym of perfectionismAthazagoraphobiafear of forgetting, forgetfulness or being forgottenAtychiphobiafear of failure or negative evaluations by othersAutophobiafear of isolation
B
Phobia ConditionBacteriophobiafear of bacteriaBasophobia, basiphobiafear of falling, fear associated with astasia-abasia, or fear of walking/standing erectBatrachophobiafear/dislike of frogs and other amphibians, a zoophobiaBelonephobiafear of needles or pinsBibliophobiafear of booksBlood-injection-injury type phobiaa DSM-IV subtype of specific phobias
C
Phobia ConditionCacophobia, aschimophobiafear of uglinessCarcinophobiafear of cancerCatoptrophobiafear of mirrorsCephalalgiaphobiafear of headachesChemophobiafear of chemicalsCherophobiafear of happinessChionophobiafear of snowChionophobia (Fear of snow), Cleveland Clinic, Accessed:4 November 2024Chromophobia, chromatophobiafear of colorsChronophobiafear of time and time moving forwardCibophobia, sitophobiaaversion to food, synonymous with anorexia nervosaClaustrophobiafear of having no escape and being closed inCoprophobiafear of feces or defecationCoulrophobiafear of clownsCyberphobiafear of computersCynophobiafear/dislike of dogs, a zoophobia
D
Phobia ConditionDendrophobiafear of trees"But his heart failing him, he dropped the axe And ran for shelter quoting Matthew Arnold: '... Remember Birnam Wood! The wood's in flux!' He had a special terror of the flux That showed itself in dendrophobia."Dental fear, odontophobiafear of dentists and dental proceduresDentophobiafear of dentistsDomatophobiafear of housesDriving phobia, driving anxietyfear of drivingBody dysmorphic disorder, dysmorphophobiaa phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defectDystichiphobiafear of being involved in an accident
E
Phobia ConditionEcophobiafear of cataclysmic environmental changeEisoptrophobiafear of mirrors or seeing one's reflection in a mirror, also called spectrophobia or catoptrophobiaEmetophobiafear of vomitingEnochlophobiafear of crowdsEntomophobiafear/dislike of insects, a zoophobiaEphebiphobiafear of youth; inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterization of young peopleEquinophobiafear of horses, a zoophobiaErgophobia, ergasiophobiafear of work or functioning, or a surgeon's fear of operatingErotophobiafear of sexual love or sexual abuseEurotophobiaaversion to female genitals
F
Phobia ConditionFrigophobiafear of becoming too cold
G
Phobia ConditionGaleophobiafear of sharksGamophobiafear of marriageGelotophobiafear of being laughed atGephyrophobiafear of bridgesGenophobia, coitophobiafear of sexual intercourseGenuphobiafear of knees or the act of kneelingGerascophobiafear of growing old or agingGerontophobiafear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderlyGlobophobiafear of balloonsGlossophobiafear of speaking in public or of trying to speakGymnophobiafear of nudityGynophobiafear of adult women
H
Phobia ConditionHalitophobiafear of bad breathHaphephobiafear of being touchedHeptadekaphobia, heptadecaphobiafear of the number 17Hedonophobiafear of obtaining pleasureHeliophobiafear of the sun or sunlightVermiphobia, helminthophobia, scoleciphobia fear of worms or parasitic worms, a zoophobiaHemophobia, haemophobiafear of bloodHerpetophobiafear/dislike of reptiles or amphibians, a zoophobiaHexakosioihexekontahexaphobiafear of the number 666Hippophobiafear/dislike of horses, a zoophobiaHodophobiafear of travelHypnophobia, somniphobiafear of sleep or nightmaresHypochondriafear of illness
I
Phobia ConditionIchthyophobiafear of fish, including fear of eating fish, or fear of dead fish, a zoophobiaInsectophobiafear of insects, a zoophobia
K
Phobia ConditionKatsaridaphobiafear of cockroaches, a zoophobiaKinesiophobiafear of movementKoumpounophobiafear of buttons on clothing
L
Phobia ConditionLilapsophobiafear of tornadoes or hurricanesLepidopterophobia fear of butterflies and moths, a zoophobia
M
Phobia ConditionMageirocophobiafear of cookingMasklophobiafear of people in masks, costumes and mascotsMegalophobiafear of massive objectsMelissophobia, apiphobiafear/dislike of bees, a zoophobiaMonophobiafear of being alone or isolated or of one's selfMusophobia, murophobia, suriphobiafear/dislike of mice or rats, a zoophobiaMycophobiafear of mushroomsMyrmecophobiafear of ants, a zoophobiaMysophobia, germophobiafear of germs, contamination or dirt
N
Phobia ConditionNecrophobiafear of corpses or things associated with death (not to be confused with death anxiety)Neophobia, cainophobia, cainotophobia, centophobia, kainolophobia, kainophobia, metathesiophobia, prosophobiafear of newness, novelty, change or progressNoctiphobiafear of the nightNomophobiafear of being out of mobile phone contactNosocomephobiafear of hospitalsNosophobiafear of contracting a diseaseNumerophobiafear of numbersNyctophobia, achluophobia, lygophobia, scotophobiafear of darkness
O
Phobia ConditionOdontophobiadental fearOmmetaphobiafear of eyesOneirophobiafear of dreamsOphidiophobiafear/dislike of snakes, a zoophobiaOphthalmophobia, spotligectophobia, scopophobia, scoptophobiafear of being stared atOrnithophobiafear/dislike of birds, a zoophobiaOsmophobia, olfactophobiafear of odorsOstraconophobiafear/dislike of shellfish, a zoophobia
P
Phobia ConditionPanphobiafear of everything or constant generalised fear of an unknown causePedophobia, paedophobia, pediaphobiafear of babies and childrenPhagophobiafear of swallowingPhallophobiafear of erections or penisesPharmacophobiafear of medicationsPhasmophobiafear of ghosts or phantomsPhilophobiafear of lovePhyllophobiafear of leavesPhobophobiafear of fear itself or of having a phobiaPhonophobiafear of loud sounds or voicesPogonophobiafear of beardsPornophobiadislike or fear of pornography; may be used in reference to the opposition to visual nudityPorphyrophobiafear of the color purple, a chromophobiaPteromerhanophobiafear of flyingPyrophobiafear of fire
R
Phobia ConditionRadiophobiafear of radioactivity or X-raysRanidaphobiafear/dislike of frogs, a zoophobia
S
Phobia ConditionScopophobia, scoptophobia, ophthalmophobia, spotligectophobiafear of being looked at or stared atSexophobiafear of sexual organs or sexual activitiesSiderodromophobiafear of trains or railroadsSocial phobiafear of people or social situationsSpectrophobiafear of mirrorsSpheksophobiafear of wasps, a zoophobiaStasiphobiafear of standing or walkingSubmechanophobiafear of partially or fully submerged man-made objects
T
Phobia ConditionTaphophobia, taphephobiafear of graves, or fear of being placed in a grave while still aliveTechnophobiafear of advanced technology (see also Luddite)Telephone phobiafear or reluctance of making or taking telephone callsTeratophobiafear of giving birth to a monster or a disfigured foetusTetraphobiafear of the number 4Thalassophobiafear of the sea, or fear of being in the oceanThanatophobiafear of dying, a synonym of death anxiety; not to be confused with necrophobiaThermophobiafear of intolerance to high temperaturesTokophobiafear of childbirth or pregnancyTomophobiafear of invasive medical proceduresTonitrophobiafear of thunderToxiphobia, toxophobia, iophobiafear of being poisonedTraumatophobiaa synonym for injury phobia: fear of having an injuryTrichophobiadelusional fear of something in the roots of the hair that stops it from growing, or fear of hair lossTriskaidekaphobia, terdekaphobiafear of the number 13Trypanophobia, belonephobia, enetophobiafear of needles or injectionsTrypophobiafear of holes or textures with a pattern of holes
V
Phobia ConditionVehophobiafear of drivingVeloxrotaphobiafear of roller coastersVerminophobiafear of germs
X
Phobia ConditionXenophobiafear of people perceived as
Z Phobia ConditionZoophobiafear of animals
Cultural prejudices and discrimination