From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Psychology, psychiatryphobiapho‧bi‧a /ˈfəʊbiə $ ˈfoʊ-/ noun [countable, uncountable]MPFRIGHTENEDa strong unreasonablefear of somethingphobia about
Owen has a phobia about snakes.
Some children suffer from school phobia.► see thesaurus at fear —phobic adjectiveExamples from the Corpusphobia• Individuals with specific fears and phobias can learn to become unafraid.• It took Shapiro just three months to overcome 25 years of bridgephobia.• What is the cause of catphobia?• Patients with depression, phobia, and obsessions were helped the most, patients with schizophrenia not as reliably.• He had provided a father-confessor figure to absolve the youngster's sins and absorb his phobias.• It shows itself in powerfulemotions that surprise us, in the richness of dreamimages, and in phobias and prejudices.• But just as with other phobias, one of the best therapies is to just go ahead and do it.• Some people's phobia about cancer is so extreme that they can not bring themselves to think about it seriously.phobia about• I have a realphobia about going to places where I don't know anyone.Related topics: Psychology, psychiatry-phobia-phobia /fəʊbiə $ foʊ-/ suffix [in nouns]1technicalMPFRIGHTENED a strong unreasonable dislike or fear of something, which may be part of a mentalillness
claustrophobia (=fear of being in a small enclosed space)
aquaphobia (=fear of water)2HATEa dislike or hatred of something
Anglophobia (=a dislike of English or British things)Originphobia(1700-1800)Modern LatinLate Latin-phobia, from Greek, from phobos“fear”-phobiaLate Latin → PHOBIA
