phobo-, phob-, -phobia, -phobias, -phobe, -phobiac, -phobist, -phobic, -phobism, -phobous

(Greek: fear, extreme fear of; morbid, excessive, irrational fear, or terror of something or someone; however, sometimes this Greek element also means a strong dislike, dread, or hatred for something or someone)


For more details about the various phobias, visit this Phobias Introduction page to see Phobia Variations Defined and Explained.

There are only two forces that unite men: fear and self-interest.

—Napoleon Bonparte
cremnophobia (s) (noun), cremnophobias (pl)
An abnormal, or morbid, dread of steep cliffs: Cremnophobia is obviously related to the horror of heights and of falling.

Some people who are afflicted with cremnophobia feel as if they have suddenly found themselves on the edge of a precipice with a roaring wind.

cremophobia (s) (noun), cremophobias (pl)
An abnormal dislike of being alone: Because of Gregory's cremophobia, he takes every opportunity he can to be with other people whenever he has a chance, such as at work, at parties, and other social gatherings.
cryophobia (s) (noun), cryophobias (pl)
A hatred of cold temperatures caused by ice, ice crystal precipitation, or frost: Alice has been suffering from cryophobias on several occasions during the severe winter where she lives.

Because of his cryophobia, Frank has been having his heaters turned up very high because he can't even look out of his windows since the high snow has covered them up outside, and he and his family feel as if they are living in a refrigerator!

crystallophobia (s) (noun), crystallophobias (pl)
An abnormal dislike and aversion of glass or crystal: Crystallophobia may be based on anxieties about being cut by broken pieces of a goblet or mirror, or even afraid of seeing one's reflections in such material.
cyberphobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
A excessive fright of computers, computerization, or anything related to computers: There are still people who have cyberphobia regarding the use of cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc., especially people who are much older or who have not had any training in the technology.
cyberphobic (adjective), more cyberphobic, most cyberphobic
A person who is panicked by computers, computer technology, or the possibility that computer intelligence will supplant human intelligence: Mary's cyberphobic grandmother refused to have anything to do with laptops, cell phones, or anything connected with them.

As a cyberphobic, Mark experienced tension, anxiety, and stress when he was required to work on the website or anything else having to do with the information processing device.

cymophobic (adjective), more cymophobic, most cymophobic
An abnormal fear of sea swells or ocean waves: Sheryl was afraid to get on a boat because of her cymophobic condition which always resulted in uncontrollable terror.
cynophobia, kynophobia (s) (noun); cynophobias, kynophobias (pl)
An excessive hatred of dogs or of being bitten by one of them: Cynophobia is a morbid mental state, usually hysterical in character, sometimes previously caused by the bite of a hound.

Those who have cynophobia have an unhealthy terror of getting rabies from canines, and therefore such animals are not considered to be "friends" or "protectors".

cyprinophobia, cyprianophobia (s) (noun); cyprinophobias, cyprianophobias (pl)
A revulsion of lewd, immoral women: Individuals who are troubled with cyprinophobia are afraid of getting diseases from prostitutes, while others think they are evil and should be avoided.
daemonophobia, demonophobia (s) (noun); daemonophobias, demonophobias (pl)
An intensive fear of demons, such as evil spirits, goblins, etc.: Some people are still obsessed with daemonophobia in their dreams concerning witches and ghosts and, as a result, wake up suddenly in terror.

People who suffer from demonophobia have an immense terror of being strongly influenced or controlled by those wicked non-human creatures to commit terrible acts.

decidophobia (s) (noun), decidophobias (pl)
An angst of making decisions which may be related to a lack of self-confidence or self-esteem: Gregory worked in the administration of a city where he often had decidophobias because so many challenges were presented and he was not sure that what he suggested would be accurate or be able to be accomplished.
defecalgesiophobia (s) (noun), defecalgesiophobias (pl)
An abnormal dread of having painful defecation or bowel movements: Often when Clara went to the toilet, she had a defecalgesiophobia because she thought it would hurt again when her intestines discharged the contents.
deipnophobia (s) (noun), deipnophobias (pl)
An abnormal aversion of dining with other people and having conversations while eating: Toby, who was afflicted with deipnophobia, usually enjoyed his meal in silence and alone and, when he was with others at the table, he would usually request that they not talk while chewing their food.

A person who has deipnophobia may suffer from any of a number of related fears, such as someone choking or talking with their mouths full and looking ridiculous while they are opening their mouths to talk before swallowing what they are chewing.

dementophobia (s) (noun), dementophobias (pl)
A fear of being or going insane: Those who suffer from dementophobia are afraid that they are losing contact with reality, members of their families, or friends.

Another reason someone might have dementophobia is because he or she has severe depressions, headaches, dizziness, or difficulty breathing.

demophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An intense dislike of crowds of people: Nancy, affected by demophobia, dreaded large masses of individuals when shopping and therefore she either got up very early and went shopping when there were hardly any customers in the stores, or very late just before the stores closed.