Meaning & use
hydrophobia
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemedical
A severe, irrational fear of water, often causing panic when near it.
Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or plural: 'He has hydrophobia.'
Patterns
- hydrophobia about something
- suffer from hydrophobia
Her hydrophobia made swimming lessons impossible.
The patient's hydrophobia was so intense that even a glass of water triggered anxiety.
Hydrophobia can be treated with therapy and gradual exposure.
noununcountablemedical
A symptom of rabies in which the throat muscles spasm painfully when the person tries to drink.
Grammar: Uncountable and technical; often used in medical descriptions of rabies.
Patterns
- hydrophobia occurs
- signs of hydrophobia
In advanced rabies, hydrophobia is a classic sign.
The doctor recognized hydrophobia as a late-stage symptom.
Hydrophobia in rabies is caused by spasms of the swallowing muscles.
Common combinations
- hydrophobia about water
- His hydrophobia about water kept him from the beach.
- suffer from hydrophobia
- She suffers from hydrophobia and avoids pools.
- hydrophobia symptom
- Hydrophobia symptom in rabies is alarming.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aquaphobia
- Aquaphobia is the general fear of water; hydrophobia often specifically refers to the rabies symptom.
- fear of water
- A plain descriptive phrase; hydrophobia is the technical term.
Word family
- hydrophobic adjective
- Having a fear of water or repelling water.
Commonly confused: hydrophobia or aquaphobia?
hydrophobia vs aquaphobia
Aquaphobia is the general fear of water, while hydrophobia is often the rabies symptom.
Practice
In medicine, hydrophobia most commonly refers to:
Choose one answer.
Hydrophobia in medicine is a rabies symptom, not a general fear of swimming. The other options describe unrelated concepts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hydrophobia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.