List of phobias

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This article is about the suffix -phobia. For the class of psychological disorders, see Phobia.

The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (of Greek origin: φόβος/φοβία ) occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, disabling fear as a mental disorder, a phobia (e.g., agoraphobia), 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 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 a word ending in -phobia may have an antonym with the suffix -phil-, e.g., Germanophobe / Germanophile.

Phobia lists

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.

Psychological conditions

Acarophobia - fear of mites and by generalization to other small insects.
Ablutophobia – fear of bathing, washing, or cleaning.
Acrophobia, Altophobia – fear of heights.
Agoraphobia, Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder – fear of open spaces
Agraphobia – fear of sexual abuse.
Aichmophobia – fear of sharp or pointed objects (as a needle, knife or a pointing finger).
Algophobia – fear of pain.
Agyrophobia – fear of crossing roads.
Amathophobia - Fear of dust.
Amaxophobia - fear of vehicles, of riding in them.
Androphobia – fear of men.
Anemophobia - fear of wind, drafts, moving air
Anginophobia - fear of suffocation, of being suffocated, or more specifically an attack of angina.
Anthropophobia – fear of people or being in a company, a form of social phobia.
Anthophobia – fear of flowers.
Aquaphobia – fear of water and by generalization swimming.
Aphephobia - fear of being touched by another person.
Astraphobia, Astrapophobia, Brontophobia, Keraunophobia – fear of thunder, lightning and storms; especially common in young children.
Autophobia - fear of being alone with oneself.
Aviophobia, Aviatophobia – fear of flying.
Bacillophobia, Bacteriophobia, Microbiophobia – fear of microbes and bacteria.
Ballistophobia - a fear of missile, or of thrwn objects.
Basiphobia - a fear of walking, or even standing erect and walking.
Bathophobia - a fear of depth, and sometimes used in the context of a fear of looking down from a height.
Belonephobia - a fear of sharp pointed objects.
Bibliophobia - a fear of books.
Blood-injection-injury type phobia – a DSM-IV subtype of specific phobias.
Brontophobia - fear of thunder. Not used for the common mild form found in children.
Cainotophobia or cenotophobia - a fear of novelty, of new situations, ideas ot things.
Cardiophobia - a fear of heart problems.
Catoptrophobia - fear of mirrors or of one's own reflection, or of breaking mirrors.
Chorophobia - fear of fun, gaity or dancing.
Cibophobia, Sitophobia – aversion to food, synonymous to Anorexia nervosa.
Claustrophobia – fear of confined spaces.
Computerphobia or cyberphobia - fear of computers, of using them.
Coprophobia - a fear of feces and by generalization dirt, contamination, and filth
Coulrophobia – fear of clowns (not restricted to evil clowns).
Cypridophobia - a fear of sexually transmitted disease, or by extension of sexual behavior
Decidophobia – fear of making decisions.
Demophobia - fear of crowds.
Dental phobia, Dentophobia, Odontophobia – fear of dentists and dental procedures
Dysmorphophobia, or body dysmorphic disorder – a fear of imaginary body defect.
Emetophobia – fear of vomiting.
Enissophobia - a fear of criticism.
Epistemophobia - a fear of knowledge.
Ergasiophobia, or Ergophobia – fear of work or by extension taking on responsibility, as in a surgeon's fear of operating.
Eremophobia - a fear of solitude of being alone. See autophobia
Ergophobia – fear of work or functioning.
Erotophobia – fear of sexual love or sexual questions.
Erythrophobia or ereuthrophobia – a fear of red objects and by generalization blushing.
Febriphobia - a fear of illness due to rising body temperature, or fever.
Gamophobia - a fear of marriage.
Gelotophobia - fear of being laughed at.
Gephyrophobia – fear of bridges.
Genophobia, Coitophobia – fear of sexual intercourse.
Gerascophobia – fear of growing old or ageing.
Gerontophobia – fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly.
Geumaphobia - a fear of tastes
Glossophobia – fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
Gymnophobia – fear of nudity.
Gynophobia – fear of women.
Haptephobia – fear of being touched.
Heliophobia – fear of sunlight.
Hemophobia, haemophobia, hematophobia or haematophobia – fear of blood or sight of blood.
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia – fear of the number 666.
Haphephobia - fear of being touched by another person.
Heliophobia - fear of the sun or of sunlight.
Heirophobia - fear of religion, of religious rites or objects.
Homophobia - fear of men, or more specifically homosexuals
Hoplophobia – fear of weapons, specifically firearms (Generally a political term but the clinical phobia is also documented).
Hyalophobia - fear of glass.
Ligyrophobia – fear of loud noises.
Lipophobia – fear/avoidance of fats in food.
Medication phobia - fear of medications
Megalophobia - fear of large/oversized objects.
Mysophobia – fear of germs, contamination or dirt.
Necrophobia – fear of death, the dead.
Neophobia, Cainophobia, Cainotophobia, Cenophobia, Centophobia, Kainolophobia, Kainophobia – fear of newness, novelty.
Nomophobia – fear of being out of mobile phone contact.
Nosophobia – fear of contracting a disease.
Nosocomephobia - fear of hospitals.
Nyctophobia, Achluophobia, Lygophobia, Scotophobia – fear of darkness.
Osmophobia, Olfactophobia – fear of smells.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia, Paraskevidekatriaphobia, Friggatriskaidekaphobia – fear of Friday the 13th.
Panphobia – fear of everything or constantly afraid without knowing what is causing it.
Phasmophobia - fear of ghosts, spectres or phantasms.
Phagophobia – fear of swallowing.
Pharmacophobia – same as medication phobia
Phobophobia – fear of having a phobia.
Phonophobia – fear of loud sounds.
Pyrophobia – fear of fire.
Radiophobia – fear of radioactivity or X-rays.
Sociophobia – fear of people or social situations
Scopophobia – fear of being looked at or stared at.
Somniphobia – fear of sleep.
Spectrophobia – fear of mirrors and one's own reflections.
Taphophobia – fear of the grave, or fear of being placed in a grave while still alive.
Technophobia – fear of technology (see also Luddite).
Telephone phobia, fear or reluctance of making or taking phone calls.
Tetraphobia – fear of the number 4.
Tokophobia – fear of childbirth.
Tomophobia – fear or anxiety of surgeries/surgical operations.
Traumatophobia – a synonym for injury phobia, a fear of having an injury
Triskaidekaphobia, Terdekaphobia – fear of the number 13.
Trypanophobia, Belonephobia, Enetophobia – fear of needles or injections.
Workplace phobia – fear of the work place.
Xenophobia – fear of strangers, foreigners, or aliens.

Animal phobias

An Animal phobia is a fear of certain animals, a category of specific phobias. While Zoophobia is generic term for animal phobias.

Ailurophobia or gatophobia – fear/dislike of cats.
Apiphobia – fear/dislike of bees (also known as Melissophobia).
Arachnophobia – fear/dislike of spiders.
Chiroptophobia – fear/dislike of bats.
Cynophobia – fear/dislike of dogs.
Entomophobia – fear/dislike of insects.
Equinophobia – fear/dislike of horses (also known as Hippophobia).
Herpetophobia - fear/dislike of reptiles.
Ichthyophobia – fear/dislike of fish.
Musophobia – fear/dislike of mice and/or rats.
Ophidiophobia – fear/dislike of snakes.
Ornithophobia – fear/dislike of birds.
Scoleciphobia – fear of worms.
Selachophobia - fear/dislike of sharks.

Non-psychological conditions

Hydrophobia – fear of water (a symptom of rabies).
Photophobia – hypersensitivity to light causing aversion to light
Phonophobia – hypersensitivity to sound causing aversion to sounds.
Osmophobia – hypersensitivity to smells causing aversion to odors.

Biology

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

Heliophobia/Heliophobic – aversion to sunlight.
Ombrophobia – avoidance of rain
Photophobia (biology) a negative phototaxis or phototropism response, or a tendency to stay out of the light
Thermophobia – aversion to heat.

Prejudices and discrimination

See also: List of anti-ethnic terms

The suffix -phobia is used to coin terms that denote a particular anti-ethnic or anti-demographic sentiment, such as 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:

Biphobia – dislike of bisexuals.
Chemophobia – prejudice against artificial substances in favour of 'natural' substances.
Ephebiphobia – fear/dislike of youth.
Gerontophobia, Gerascophobia – fear of growing old or a hatred of the elderly.
Heterophobia – fear/dislike of heterosexuals.
Homophobia – aversion to homosexuality or fear of homosexuals.
Hoplophobia – aversion to firearms or firearms owners. This word has also gained a certain political notoriety as a dysphemism for "gun control advocate".
Judeophobia – fear/dislike of Jews.
Lesbophobia – fear/dislike of lesbian women.
Pedophobia, Pediophobia – fear/dislike of children.
Psychophobia – fear/dislike of mentally ill.
Transphobia – fear or dislike of transgender or transsexual people.
Xenophobia – fear or dislike of foreigners.

References

Chris Aldrich (2002-12-02). The Aldrich Dictionary of Phobias and Other Word Families, Trafford Publishing.

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