list of phobias 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 (e.g. homophobia). the suffix is antonymic to -phil-. "-phobia" redirects here. for the class of psychological disorders, see phobia. 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. 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 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, triakaidekaphobia – 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 condition achluophobia fear of darkness acousticophobia fear of noise – a branch of phonophobia acrophobia fear of heights aerophobia fear of aircraft or flying agoraphobia fear of open places agyrophobia fear of crossing streets aichmophobia fear of sharp or pointed objects such as a needle or knife ailurophobia fear/dislike of cats, a zoophobia alektorophobia fear/dislike of chickens, a zoophobia anatidaephobia fear/dislike of ducks, a zoophobia algophobia fear of pain alliumphobia fear of the strong-scented allium genus: garlic, onions, chives, shallots ancraophobia fear of wind or drafts androphobia fear of adult men anthropophobia fear of human beings apeirophobia excessive fear of infinity, eternity, and the uncountable aphenphosmphobia fear of being touched apiphobia fear of bees, a zoophobia apotemnophobia fear of amputees, and/or of becoming an amputee 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 and other arachnids such as scorpions, a zoophobia astraphobia fear of thunder and lightning atelophobia fear of imperfection atychiphobia fear of failure or negative evaluations of others autophobia fear of isolation b phobia condition bacteriophobia fear of bacteria basophobia, basiphobia fear associated with astasia-abasia (fear of walking/standing erect) and a fear of falling batrachophobia fear/dislike of frogs and other amphibians, a zoophobia belonephobia fear of needles or pins bibliophobia fear of books blood-injection-injury type phobia a dsm-iv subtype of specific phobias c phobia condition cacophobia, aschimophobia fear of ugliness carcinophobia fear of cancer catoptrophobia fear of mirrors chemophobia fear of chemicals cherophobia fear of happiness chiroptophobia fear/dislike of bats, a zoophobia chromophobia, chromatophobia fear of colors chronophobia fear of time and time moving forward chronomentrophobia fear of clocks cibophobia, sitophobia aversion to food, synonymous with anorexia nervosa claustrophobia fear of having no escape and being closed in coimetrophobia fear of cemeteries coprophobia fear of feces or defecation coulrophobia fear of clowns cyberphobia fear of computers cynophobia fear/dislike of dogs, a zoophobia d phobia condition dental fear, odontophobia fear of dentists and dental procedures dentophobia fear of dentists diagraphephobia fear of deleting files or an extreme fear of losing your computer data. domatophobia fear of houses driving phobia, driving anxiety fear of driving dysmorphophobia, body dysmorphic disorder a phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defect e phobia condition ecophobia fear of cataclysmic environmental change eisoptrophobia fear of mirrors or seeing one's reflection in a mirror emetophobia fear of vomiting enochlophobia fear of crowds entomophobia fear/dislike of insects, a zoophobia ephebiphobia fear of youth; inaccurate, exaggerated and sensational characterization of young people equinophobia fear of horses 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 eurotophobia aversion to female genitals f phobia condition frigophobia fear of becoming too cold g phobia condition gamophobia fear of marriage gelotophobia fear of being laughed at gephyrophobia fear of bridges genophobia, coitophobia fear of sexual intercourse genuphobia fear of knees or the act of kneeling 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 adult women h phobia condition halitophobia fear of bad breath haphephobia fear of being touched heptadekaphobia, heptadecaphobia fear of the number 17 hedonophobia fear of obtaining pleasure heliophobia fear of the sun or sunlight helminthophobia, scoleciphobia, vermiphobia fear of worms, a zoophobia hemophobia, haemophobia fear of blood herpetophobia fear/dislike of reptiles or amphibians, a zoophobia hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia fear of the number 666 hippophobia fear/dislike of horses, a zoophobia hodophobia fear of travel hydrophobia fear of water, see aquaphobia hypnophobia, somniphobia fear of sleep or nightmares hypochondria fear of illness i phobia condition ichthyophobia fear of fish, including fear of eating fish, or fear of dead fish, a zoophobia insectophobia fear of insects, a zoophobia k phobia condition koumpounophobia fear of buttons on clothing l phobia condition lilapsophobia fear of tornadoes or hurricanes lepidopterophobia fear of butterflies and moths, a zoophobia m phobia condition mageiricophobia fear of cooking masklophobia fear of people in masks, costumes and mascots megalophobia fear of large objects melanophobia fear of the color black melissophobia, apiphobia fear/dislike of bees, a zoophobia monophobia fear of being alone or isolated or of one's self musophobia, murophobia, suriphobia fear/dislike of mice or rats, a zoophobia mycophobia fear of mushrooms myrmecophobia fear of ants, a zoophobia mysophobia, germophobia fear of germs, contamination or dirt n phobia condition necrophobia fear of death or the dead neophobia, cainophobia, cainotophobia, centophobia, kainolophobia, kainophobia, metathesiophobia, prosophobia fear of newness, novelty, change or progress noctiphobia fear of the night 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 phobia condition obesophobia fear of gaining weight oikophobia fear of home surroundings and household appliances odontophobia dental fear ommetaphobia fear of eyes oneirophobia fear of dreams ophidiophobia fear/dislike of snakes, a zoophobia ophthalmophobia fear of being stared at ornithophobia fear/dislike of birds, a zoophobia osmophobia, olfactophobia fear of odors ostraconophobia fear/dislike of shellfish, a zoophobia p phobia condition panphobia fear of everything or constant fear of an unknown cause pedophobia, paedophobia, pediaphobia fear of babies and children phagophobia fear of swallowing phallophobia fear of erections pharmacophobia fear of medications phasmophobia fear of ghosts or phantoms philophobia fear of love phyllophobia fear of leaves phobophobia fear of fear itself or of having a phobia phonophobia fear of loud sounds or voices pogonophobia fear of beards pornophobia dislike or fear of pornography; may be used in reference to the opposition to visual nudity porphyrophobia fear of the color purple pteromerhanophobia fear of flying pyrophobia fear of fire r phobia condition radiophobia fear of radioactivity or x-rays ranidaphobia fear/dislike of frogs, a zoophobia s phobia condition scopophobia fear of being looked at or stared at sexophobia fear of sexual organs or sexual activities siderodromophobia fear of trains or railroads social phobia fear of people or social situations somniphobia fear of sleep spectrophobia fear of mirrors spheksophobia fear of wasps, a zoophobia stasiphobia fear of standing or walking submechanophobia fear of partially or fully submerged man-made objects t phobia condition taphophobia, taphephobia fear of graves, 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 teratophobia fear of giving birth to a monster or a disfigured foetus tetraphobia fear of the number 4 thalassophobia fear of the sea, or fear of being in the ocean thanatophobia fear of dying thermophobia fear of intolerance to high temperatures tokophobia fear of childbirth or pregnancy tomophobia fear of invasive medical procedure tonitrophobia fear of thunder 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, 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 v phobia condition vehophobia fear of driving verminophobia fear of germs w phobia condition workplace phobia fear of the workplace, a subset of ergophobia x phobia condition xanthophobia fear of the color yellow z phobia condition zoophobia fear of animals cultural prejudices and discrimination phobia condition acephobia fear/dislike of asexual people aporophobia fear/dislike of people without resources biphobia fear/dislike of bisexuality or bisexuals ephebiphobia fear/dislike of youth gayphobia fear/dislike of gay men (specifically) gerontophobia, gerascophobia fear/dislike of aging or the elderly heterophobia fear/dislike of heterosexuals homophobia fear/dislike of homosexuality, homosexuals, or gays (as opposed to lesbians) lesbophobia fear/dislike of lesbians pedophobia fear/dislike of babies or children psychophobia fear/dislike of mental illness or the mentally ill transphobia fear/dislike of transgender people ethnic 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. phobia condition afrophobia fear/dislike of africans albanophobia fear/dislike of albanians anglophobia fear/dislike of england or english culture christianophobia fear/dislike of christians germanophobia fear/dislike of germans hinduphobia fear/dislike of hindus hibernophobia fear/dislike of irish people hispanophobia fear/dislike of hispanic people, hispanic culture and the spanish language hungarophobia fear/dislike of hungarians indophobia fear/dislike of india or indian culture indonesiaphobia fear/dislike of indonesia or indonesian culture iranophobia fear/dislike of iran or iranian culture islamophobia fear/dislike of muslims italophobia fear/dislike of italians judeophobia fear/dislike of jews lusophobia fear/dislike of the portuguese, portuguese culture and the portuguese language nipponophobia fear/dislike of the japanese koryophobia fear/dislike of the koreans latinophobia fear/dislike of latin people negrophobia fear/dislike of black people polonophobia fear/dislike of the polish russophobia fear/dislike of russians shiaphobia fear/dislike of shiites sinophobia fear/dislike of chinese people sunniphobia fear/dislike of sunnis turcophobia fear/dislike of turks xenophobia fear/dislike of foreigners medical conditions phobia condition osmophobia hypersensitivity to smells causing aversion to odors phonophobia hypersensitivity to sound causing aversion to sounds photophobia hypersensitivity to light causing aversion to light cultural phenomena phobia condition bibliophobia fear or hatred of books, as a cultural phenomenon lipophobia avoidance of fats in food () coronaphobia fear of covid-19 -phobia in the natural sciences in the natural sciences, words with the suffix -phobia/-phobic generally describe a predisposition for avoidance and/or exclusion. for antonyms, see here phobia condition acidophobia preference for non-acidic conditions heliophobia aversion to sunlight hydrophobia the property of being repelled by water lipophobicity the property of fat rejection (sometimes also called lipophobia) oleophobicity the property of oil rejection photophobia (biology) a negative phototaxis or phototropism response, or a tendency to stay out of the light ultrahydrophobicity the