Meaning & use
germaphobic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableinformal
Extremely worried about germs and dirt, and so inclined to clean or avoid touching things.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a germaphobic friend, she is germaphobic.
Patterns
- be germaphobic about something
My germaphobic roommate wipes the doorknobs every night.
He is so germaphobic that he carries sanitizer everywhere.
Being germaphobic made the flu season stressful for her.
adjectivebefore a nouninformal
Describing behavior or habits that come from a strong fear of germs.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: germaphobic habits, germaphobic tendencies.
Patterns
- germaphobic habits
His germaphobic habits include using a paper towel to open any door.
The germaphobic rituals took up an hour of her morning.
Common combinations
- germaphobic tendencies
- Her germaphobic tendencies got worse during the pandemic.
- a germaphobic friend
- I have a germaphobic friend who will not shake hands.
- totally germaphobic
- I am totally germaphobic about public bathrooms.
- germaphobic about
- He is germaphobic about shared keyboards.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fastidious
- Fastidious means very picky about neatness, but it does not point to fear of germs specifically.
- mysophobic
- Mysophobic is the clinical term for the fear, and it sounds more technical than germaphobic.
- hygiene-obsessed
- Hygiene-obsessed is a descriptive phrase that stresses behavior, while germaphobic stresses fear.
Opposites
Word family
- germaphobe noun
- a person who is very afraid of germs
- germaphobia noun
- an extreme fear of germs
- germ noun
- a tiny organism that can cause disease
- phobia noun
- an intense fear of something
Commonly confused: germaphobic or germane?
germaphobic vs germane
Germane means relevant to a topic and has nothing to do with germs.
Practice
My brother is so ______ that he refuses to touch handrails and uses a tissue to open every door.
Choose one answer.
Germaphobic means very afraid of germs. 'Germane' sounds similar but means relevant, so it does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “germaphobic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.