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List of phobias

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Template:Table Suffixes The English suffix -phobia is technically used to describe irrational, disabling fear as a mental disorder, and commonly misused to describe hatred of a particular thing or subject. Everyday language has misused the use of this suffix as a mild or irrational fear with no serious substance; however, its origin is from areas of psychiatry which study serious phobias which disable a person's life. For more information on the psychiatric side of this, including how psychiatry groups phobias as "agoraphobia", "social phobia", or "simple phobia", see phobia.

The following is a list of words ending in -phobia, or a list of fears that have been given names. In many cases the words listed here are neologisms and only a few of them occur in the medical literature. In many cases, the naming of phobias is a word game.

Most of these terms were devised by adding the suffix -phobia to a Greek word for the object of the fear (some use a combination of a Latin root with the Greek suffix, which some consider linguistically impure).

Some claim that an attempt to create a list of phobias is an irrational endeavor because, theoretically, a person could be conditioned to be afraid of literally anything. Also, there is a significant number of unscrupulous psychiatric websites that at the first glance cover a huge number of phobias, but in fact they have a standard text that fit to any phobia and is reused for all unusual phobias by merely changing the name. Below are a couple of striking examples.

"... Poor performance or grades. Promotions that pass you by. moths phobia will likely cost you tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime, let alone the cost to your health and quality of life. Now Moths Phobia can be gone for less than the price of a round-trip airline ticket."
"... The expert phobia team at CTRN's Phobia Clinic is board-certified to help with Russophobia and a variety of related problems. The success rate of our 24 hour program is close to 100%"


See also the phobias category.

Template:CompactTOC2

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

  • Kainophobia - Fear of novelty
  • Kenophobia - Fear of voids or empty spaces.
  • Keraunophobia - Fear of lightning.
  • Kinetophobia, Kinesophobia - Fear of movement or motion.
  • Kolpophobia - Fear of genitals, particularly female.
  • Kopophobia - Fear of fatigue.

L

  • Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables.
  • Laliophobia, Lalophobia - Fear of speaking.
  • Leporiphobia - Fear of rabbits.
  • Leprophobia, Lepraphobia - Fear of leprosy.
  • Leukophobia - Fear of the colour white.
  • Levophobia - Fear of things to the left side of the body.
  • Librophobia - Fear of having to balance.
  • Ligyrophobia - Fear of loud noises.
  • Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
  • Limnophobia - Fear of lakes.
  • Linonophobia - Fear of string.
  • Liticaphobia - Fear of lawsuits.
  • Lockiophobia, Maieusiophobia, Parturiphobia - Fear of childbirth.
  • Logophobia - Fear of words.
  • Luiphobia, Syphilophobia - Fear of syphilis.
  • Lutraphobia - Fear of otters.
  • Lyssophobia - Fear of rabies or of becoming insane.

M

  • Macroxenoglossophobia - Fear of long, strange words.
  • Macrophobia - Fear of long waits.
  • Maimouphobia, Pithikosophobia - Fear of monkeys.
  • Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking.
  • Malaxophobia, Sarmassophobia - Fear of love play.
  • Maniaphobia - Fear of going insane.
  • Maserphobia - Fear of Singaporeans, the mixed culture of Singapore.
  • Mastigophobia, Poinephobia - Fear of punishment.
  • Mechanophobia - Fear of machines.
  • Medomalacuphobia - Fear of losing an erection.
  • Medorthophobia - Fear of an erect penis.
  • Megalophobia - Fear of large objects.
  • Melanophobia - Fear of the colour black.
  • Melophobia - Fear or hatred of music.
  • Meningitophobia - Fear of brain disease.
  • Menophobia - Fear of menstruation.
  • Merinthophobia - Fear of being bound or tied up.
  • Metallophobia - Fear of metal.
  • Metathesiophobia - Fear of changes.
  • Meteorophobia - Fear of meteors.
  • Methyphobia, Potophobia - Fear of alcohol.
  • Metrophobia - Fear or hatred of poetry.
  • Microphobia, Mycrophobia - Fear of small objects.
  • Misophobia, Molysmophobia, Molysomophobia, Mysophobia, Verminophobia - Fear of being contaminated with dirt or germs.
  • Mnemophobia - Fear of memories.
  • Monophobia - Fear of being alone, or of feeling alone.
  • Monopathophobia - Fear of a specific disease.
  • Motorphobia - Fear of automobiles.
  • Mottephobia - Fear of moths and butterflies.
  • Musophobia, Murophobia, Suriphobia - Fear of mice and/or rats.
  • Mycophobia - Fear or aversion to mushrooms.
  • Myrmecophobia - Fear of ants.
  • Mysophobia - Fear of dirt.
  • Mythophobia - Fear of myths, stories or false statements.

N

  • Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things.
  • Neopharmaphobia - Fear of new drugs.
  • Neophobia - Fear of the new.
  • Nephophobia - Fear of clouds.
  • Nihilophobia - Fear of (absolutely) nothing.
  • Noctiphobia - Fear of the night.
  • Nomatophobia - Fear of names.
  • Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals.
  • Nosophobia, Nosemaphobia - Fear of becoming ill.
  • Nostophobia - Fear of returning home.
  • Novercaphobia - Fear of one's stepmother.
  • Nucleomituphobia - Fear of nuclear weapons.
  • Numerophobia - Fear of numbers.
  • Nyctohylophobia - Fear of dark, wooded areas.
  • Nyctophobia - Fear of the dark, of night or of nightfall.

O

  • Obesophobia, Pocrescophobia - Fear of gaining weight.
  • Ochophobia - Fear of vehicles.
  • Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.
  • Odontophobia - Fear of teeth or dental surgery.
  • Oenophobia - Fear of wine.
  • Oicophobia - Fear of houses.
  • Olfactophobia, Osmophobia, Osphresiophobia - Fear of smells.
  • Ombrophobia, Pluviophobia - Fear of rain or of being rained on.
  • Ommetaphobia, Ommatophobia - Fear of eyes.
  • Oneirophobia - Fear of dreams.
  • Oneirogmophobia - Fear of wet dreams.
  • Onomatophobia - Fear of hearing certain words or names.
  • Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes.
  • Ophthalmophobia - Fear of being stared at.
  • Opiophobia - A medical doctor's fear of prescribing pain medications for patients.
  • Optophobia - Fear of opening one's eyes.
  • Ornithophobia - Fear of birds.
  • Ortographobia - Fear of spelling mistakes.
  • Orthophobia - Fear of property.
  • Ostraconophobia - Fear of shellfish.
  • Ouranophobia, Uranophobia - Fear of heaven.

P

  • Pagophobia - Fear of ice or frost.
  • Panthophobia - Fear of suffering and disease.
  • Panophobia, Pantophobia - Fear of everything.
  • Papaphobia - Fear of the Pope.
  • Papyrophobia - Fear of paper.
  • Paralipophobia - Fear of neglecting duty or responsibility.
  • Paraphobia - Fear of sexual perversion.
  • Parasitophobia - Fear of parasites.
  • Paraskavedekatriaphobia - Fear of Friday the 13th.
  • Parthenophobia - Fear of virgins or young girls.
  • Pathophobia - Fear of disease.
  • Patroiophobia - Fear of heredity.
  • Pediculophobia, Phthiriophobia - Fear of lice.
  • Pediophobia - Fear of dolls.
  • Pediphobia, Pedophobia - Fear of children.
  • Peladophobia - Fear of bald people.
  • Pellagrophobia - Fear of pellagra.
  • Peniaphobia - Fear of poverty.
  • Pentheraphobia - Fear of one's mother-in-law.
  • Phagophobia - Fear of swallowing, eating or of being eaten.
  • Phalacrophobia - Fear of becoming bald.
  • Phallophobia - Fear of a penis, esp. erect.
  • Pharmacophobia - Fear of taking medicine.
  • Phasmophobia, Spectrophobia - Fear of ghosts.
  • Phengophobia - Fear of daylight or sunshine.
  • Philemaphobia, Philematophobia - Fear of kissing.
  • Philophobia - Fear of falling in love or being in love.
  • Philosophobia - Fear of philosophy.
  • Phobophobia - Fear of phobias.
  • Phobophobiaphobia - Fear of fear of phobias.
  • Photoaugliaphobia - Fear of glaring lights.
  • Photophobia - Fear of light (also refers to aversion to light due to an inflamed/painful eye or excessively dilated pupils)
  • Phonophobia - Fear of noises, voices, one's own voice or of telephones.
  • Phronemophobia - Fear of thinking.
  • Phthisiophobia, Tuberculophobia - Fear of tuberculosis.
  • Placophobia - Fear of tombstones.
  • Plutophobia - Fear of wealth.
  • Pneumatiphobia - Fear of spirits.
  • Pnigophobia, Pnigerophobia - Fear of choking or being smothered.
  • Pogonophobia, Pognophobia - Fear of beards.
  • Poliosophobia - Fear of contracting poliomyelitis.
  • Politicophobia - Fear or abnormal dislike of politicians.
  • Polonophobia - Hatred of Poles.
  • Polyphobia - Having many phobias.
  • Ponophobia - Fear of overworking or of pain.
  • Porphyrophobia - Fear of the colour purple.
  • Potamophobia - Fear of rivers or running water.
  • Pharmacophobia - Fear of drugs.
  • Proctophobia, Rectophobia - Fear of the rectum or of rectal diseases.
  • Prosophobia - Fear of progress.
  • Psellismophobia - Fear of stuttering.
  • Psychophobia - Fear of the mind.
  • Pteronophobia - Fear of being tickled by feathers.
  • Pupaphobia - Fear of puppets.
  • Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.


R

  • Radiophobia - Fear of radiation or X-rays.
  • Ranidaphobia - Fear of frogs.
  • Retrophobia - Fear of old things or traveling back in time.
  • Retterophobia - Fear of wrongly chosen letters.
  • Rhabdophobia - Fear of being severely punished or beaten with a rod, or of being severely criticized. Also fear of magic.
  • Rhinophobia - Fear of noses.
  • Rhodophobia - Fear of the colour red.
  • Rhypophobia - Fear of defecation.
  • Rhytiphobia - Fear of getting wrinkles.
  • Rupophobia - Fear of dirt.
  • Russophobia - A phobic attitude towards Russia or Russians.

S

  • Samhainophobia - Fear of Halloween.
  • Satanophobia, Orcusophobia - Fear of Satan.
  • Scabiophobia - Fear of scabies.
  • Scatophobia, Fecophobia, Coprophobia - Fear of feces.
  • Scelerophibia - Fear of bad men, burglars.
  • Sciophobia, Sciaphobia - Fear of shadows.
  • Scoleciphobia, Vermiphobia - Fear of worms.
  • Scopophobia, Scoptophobia - Fear of being seen or stared at.
  • Scotomaphobia - Fear of blindness in visual field.
  • Scriptophobia - Fear of writing in public.
  • Sedatephobia - Fear of silence.
  • Selachophobia - Fear of sharks.
  • Selaphobia - Fear of light flashes.
  • Selenophobia - Fear of the moon.
  • Seplophobia - Fear of decaying matter.
  • Sesquipedalophobia - Fear of long words.
  • Siderodromophobia - Fear of trains, railroads or train travel.
  • Siderophobia - Fear of stars.
  • Sitophobia - Fear of food.
  • Sinistrophobia - Fear of things to the left of oneself.
  • Sinophobia - Fear of the Chinese, Chinese culture, etc.
  • Soceraphobia - Fear of parents-in-law.
  • Sociophobia - Fear of society or people in general.
  • Somniphobia - Fear of sleep.
  • Sophophobia - Fear of learning.
  • Soteriophobia - Fear of dependence on others.
  • Spectrophobia - Fear of mirrors.
  • Spermatophobia or Spermophobia - Fear of sperm.
  • Spheksophobia - Fear of wasps.
  • Staurophobia - Fear of crosses or crucifixes.
  • Stenophobia - Fear of narrow things or places.
  • Stephanophobia - Fear of crowns
  • Suriphobia - Fear of mice.
  • Symbolophobia - Fear of symbolism.
  • Symmetrophobia - Fear of symmetry.
  • Syngenesophobia - Fear of relatives.
  • Syphiliphobia - Fear of syphilis.

T

  • Tachophobia - Fear of speed.
  • Taeniophobia, Teniophobia - Fear of tapeworms.
  • Taphephobia, Taphophobia - Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.
  • Tapinophobia - Fear of being contagious.
  • Taurophobia - Fear of bulls.
  • Technophobia - Fear of technology.
  • Teleophobia - Fear of definite plans or of religious ceremony.
  • Telephonophobia - Fear of telephones.
  • Teratophobia - Fear of bearing a deformed child, of monsters or of deformed people.
  • Teratrophobia - Fear of monsters.
  • Terdekaphobia - Fear of the number 13.
  • Testophobia - Fear of taking tests.
  • Tetanophobia - Fear of tetanus or lockjaw.
  • Tetraphobia - Fear of the number 4.
  • Textophobia - Fear of certain fabrics.
  • Thalassophobia - Fear of the sea.
  • Thanatophobia, Thantophobia - Fear of death or dying.
  • Theatrophobia - Fear of theatres.
  • Theologicophobia - Fear of theology.
  • Theophobia - Fear of gods or religion.
  • Thermophobia - Fear of heat.
  • Tocophobia - Fear of pregnancy or childbirth.
  • Tomophobia - Fear of surgical operations.
  • Tonsurephobia - Fear of haircuts.
  • Topophobia - Fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.
  • Toxiphobia, Toxophobia, Toxicophobia - Fear of poison or of being accidentally poisoned.
  • Traumatophobia - Fear of injury.
  • Tremophobia - Fear of trembling.
  • Trichinophobia - Fear of trichinosis.
  • Triskaidekaphobia - Fear of the number 13. Having a superstition.
  • Tropophobia - Fear of moving or making changes.
  • Turophobia - Fear of cheese.
  • Trypanophobia - Fear of injections.
  • Trypophobia - Fear of holes.
  • Tyrannophobia - Fear of tyrants.

U

  • Uranophobia - Fear of the heavens.
  • Urophobia - Fear of urine or urinating.

V

W

X

  • Xanthophobia - Fear of the colour yellow or the word yellow.
  • Xenoglossophobia - Fear of foreign languages.
  • Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners.
  • Xerophobia - Fear of dryness.
  • Xylophobia - Fear of wooden objects or fear of forests.

Z

  • Zoophobia - Fear of animals.
  • Zemmiphobia - Fear of the great mole rat.

Phobias not named -phobia

  • Penis panic refers to a type of mass hysteria or panic where males grow fearful of removal or shrinking of the penis.
  • Taijin kyofusho (対人恐怖症, TKS, for taijin kyofusho symptoms), is a culture-bound syndrome (cultural disorder, or mental illness) (allegedly) specific to Japan. Fear of hurting or offending other people.
  • Castration anxiety