Meaning & use
phobia
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Meaning
nouncountablemedical
A strong, persistent fear of a particular object, activity, or situation that is out of proportion to real danger.
Grammar: Countable; use a phobia for one specific fear and phobias for several.
Patterns
- a phobia of something
- have a phobia about something
- phobia of heights
- overcome a phobia
Her phobia of needles made blood tests stressful.
He has a phobia about flying, so he takes trains instead.
Word forms
| plural | phobias |
|---|
Common combinations
- irrational phobia
- The counselor explained that an irrational phobia can still feel overwhelming.
- common phobia
- Fear of public speaking is a common phobia.
- overcome a phobia
- She slowly overcame a phobia of dogs with guidance.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- phobic adjective
- Having or relating to a phobia.
- -phobia suffix
- Forms names of specific fears.
- -phobe suffix
- Forms words for a person with a fear or aversion.
- phobophobia noun
- Fear of developing a phobia.
Commonly confused: phobia or fear?
phobia vs fear
All phobias involve fear, but ordinary fear can be reasonable and temporary; a phobia is intense, specific, and disruptive.
Practice
He has a phobia of enclosed spaces, so he especially avoids ___.
Choose one answer.
Enclosed spaces most directly triggers claustrophobic avoidance, and an elevator is a typical enclosed space. Windows, open fields, and concerts may be unpleasant for other reasons but do not match the clue.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “phobia”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.