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
linonophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An exaggerated concern regarding string: Because little Susi was badly hurt by some thick thread around her wrists one day, she had an aversion towards it, which caused her to have linonophobia.
lipophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An excessive apprehension of becoming fat or of fats being in food: Jane was extremely diet conscious and avoided oils and butter in her nourishment plan and her mother thought for sure that she had lipophobia!
litigaphobia (s) (noun) (no pl)
An abnormal anxiety about being sued or being involved in lawsuits: Jack, who was quite poor and having litigaphobia, was not only terrified of lawyers, but also feared any kind of litigation procedures where he would have to pay money, which he didn't have, or even have to go to jail!
logophobia (s) (noun), logophobias (pl)
An abnormal anxiety about words or talking: Sammy wasn't very good in his English class in school and was very troubled when speaking to others, or especially when writing anything, and his teacher mentioned to the parents that he might have logophobia.
Luciferphobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
1. A terror of what is perceived to be Satan and his Satanic powers of evil: In the story Jane was reading, one of the characters had Luiferphobia, because of his horror of the dominance of supremacy of the devil!
2. A fear of what is believed to be the forces of the Devil or Satan: In his religion class at school, Jeff learned that some people connect the powers of very evil spirits or Lucifer with their daily lives and therefore suffer from Luciferphobia.
luiphobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An exaggerated horror of having syphilis, previously known as "lues": Because this venereal disease, which is sexually transmitted by a bacteria, it is quite understandable that many people acquire luiphobia and avoid questionable sexual contacts with others.

Lues is derived from the Latin word meaning infection or plague.

lutraphobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An abnormal dislike of otters: Although the aquatic, weasel like mammals are so furry and with webbed feet and a flat tail, Janet has an irrational fear of them, termed lutraphobia.
lygophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
A loathing of darkness or of gloomy and shadowy situations: Lygophobia describes the fear of blackness, dimness, or of murkiness and is associated with feelings of uncertainty, helplessness, and the inability to see what one is doing, as well as a sense of unfamiliarity because things appear to be different in the dark.
lyssophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
1. An intense terror of going insane: The main character in the book Susan was reading was put into hospital because she was thought to have lyssophobia after going mad after following a terrible nervous breakdown.
2. A morbid fear of catching rabies: Greg, suffering from lyssophobia, avoided wild animals altogether because he was most afraid of being bitten by one and contracting an acute viral disease which would affect his nervous system.
macrophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An abnormal dread of having to wait for long periods of time: Suffering from macrophobia, Mrs. Jackson loathed going to see Dr. Smith because she feared she would have to sit for a prolonged amount of time before being able to talk to him about her health issues.
maieusiophobia, tocophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An intense apprehension about childbirth, or of pregnancy: Nancy was expecting her first baby and was absolutely frightened about labor and delivery of her newborn and therefore had special appointments with the doctor concerning her maieusiophobia.
malaxophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An extreme dread of love play: Those who suffer from malaxophobia, especially women, and also known as "sarmassophobia", experience discomfort and distress in caressing, stroking and fondling, causing a barrier towards intimacy in a loving relationship.
maniaphobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An extreme concern of becoming insane or mentally ill: After her husband was killed in a car accident at the age of 25, Rebecca hoped that she wouldn't suffer from maniaphobia and become totally distraught.
mastigophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An excessive dread of being flogged: When Ben was growing up, his father beat him once in a while, and, with time, Ben acquired mastigophobia and was terrified at being whipped for reasons he didn't understand.
mechanophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
An irrational dislike of machines: It didn't matter if the car engine was meant or the appliances in the kitchen, but Janet, afflicted with mechanophobia, just didn't understand them and stayed away from such machinery because she was afraid of them breaking down or hurting her in some way and it would be her fault!