Meaning & use

hydrophobia

noun·Advanced

An intense fear of water, often occurring as a symptom of advanced rabies infection.

See it in a sentence

Hydrophobia is one of the alarming symptoms doctors watch for in untreated rabies cases.

The child's hydrophobia made even bath time a struggle for her parents.

A note on using this word

In medicine, hydrophobia specifically refers to the throat spasms rabies causes at the sight of water, not general anxiety about swimming.

Words with a similar meaning

fear of water

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