myso-, mys- +

An excessive fear of being dirty and stinking, or of personal filth which may result in abnormally frequent bathing, as shown in the illustration below: Ted thought that he needed to take a long bath or shower each morning, every time he came home from school, and in the evening, thinking that he smelled quite offensive to himself and to others, and, as a result, he developed automysophobia.

1. A pathological attraction to dirt or filth; sometimes with sexual manifestations: Nancy was appalled that some people suffered from mysophilia and was glad that she wasn't one of them and like to be clean.
2. A paraphilia relating to soiled or dirty material or people: Some individuals affected by mysophilia think that dirt, faces or filthy underwear enhance their sexual arousal.

A reference to a condition involving a pathological attraction to soiled or filthy material or people: A mysophilic dependency of the patient was discovered early in time so that the treatment involved could end successfully.

A pathologic fear of dirt, uncleanliness, or contamination: Mrs. Clean was so occupied with her home being totally taintless that she washed her curtains almost every week, changed her bedding every day, and washed her hands compulsively, and she was known by her friends to have mysophobia.

Someone who has an abnormal hatred of filth or contamination: Mr. Clean was different from his wife, who was a mysophobiac, and didn't mind having dust on the furniture or having dirty dishes in the kitchen waiting to be washed.

Relating to a person who is afraid of dirt or contamination: Shirley was certainly a mysophobic individual who avoided being in a bus with other people, or in a taxi where others had traveled because of the filth, stains, and grime that could even be seen!