phobia
FOH-bee-uh
/ˈfəʊ.bi.ə/
An extreme, irrational, and persistent fear of a specific object, situation, or activity.
Differs from standard fear because it is disproportionate to actual danger and leads to severe avoidance behaviors.
The story behind the word. In Greek mythology, Phobos was the deity personifying fear and panic, who accompanied his father Ares into battle. Medical writers adopted his name to label intense irrational fears.
Word relationships
- dread: Profound, overwhelming apprehension regarding future danger.
- terror: Acute, overwhelming surge of intense immediate fear.
- philia: A strong liking, affinity, or attraction toward something.
Commonly confused with
- fear: Fear is a normal emotional reaction to actual danger; phobia is an irrational, persistent fear of non-dangerous or low-risk stimuli.
Word family
- phobic (adjective): Having or showing an extreme irrational fear.
- phobe (noun): A person who fears or intensely dislikes a specific thing.
Collocations
- specific phobia
- social phobia
- develop a phobia
- irrational phobia
Example sentences
- "Her severe phobia of enclosed spaces made taking elevators virtually impossible without panic symptoms." Clinical Case Study
- "Systematic desensitization therapy is highly effective in reducing the impact of a specific phobia." Psychological Treatment
Memory hook
PHOBOS was the ancient god of terror; a phobia is an irrational terror of something. Irrational, intense, persistent fear.
When not to use
Do not use for sensible caution, like avoiding swimming near a visible shark.
Fun facts
- Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and acrophobia (fear of heights) consistently rank among the world's most common phobias.
Explore more words
avoidance, claustrophobic, dread, panicked, PTSD, apprehensive
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