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

An excessive dread of touching or of being touched by other people: In some cases, aphephobia may relate to a terror of contamination.

With aphephobia, a physical contact with another individual can be overpowering and even painful, and in some cases, the fear is specific to only one gender, while in other situations it relates to all human beings.

Characteristic of a person being without fear; fearless: Mr. Anderson, the author, described the hero in his novel as a brave and aphobic man, willing to face any peril.

A fear of April Fool's Day itself: Aphrilophobia involves people who suffer excessively from being ridiculed, being embarrassed, or "put down" in social situations.

A morbid fear of bees or of being stung by them: Those who are afflicted with apiophobia may decide to limit driving the car with the windows closed, or perhaps he or she would prefer to stay indoors during the daylight in order to avoid hymenopterous insects.

A dread of being around people who have an amputation or a fear that one will lose an appendage: Jane became afflicted with apotemnophobia because she was afraid and terrified of saying the wrong thing or acting in the wrong way when encountering such a handicapped person.

An irrational fear of water that is related to an abnormal dread of drowning and of death: Some people who suffer from aquaphobias are afraid of wading in a river or lake and having their faces and noses wet, and when this happens, they have a rapid heartbeat and breathe faster, often inhaling the clear and colorless liquid, which further increases their anxiety.

A reference to an individual who is abnormally afraid of water: Most aquaphobic people are concerned that the clear liquid which is emitted from the faucet is not as safe to drink as the special kind in bottles.

A morbid dread of peanut butter adhering to the roof of one’s mouth: Arachibutyrophobia is related to the fear of swallowing and gagging on this sticky paste or spread.

An excessive fear of spiders: Many people suffer from the dread of experiencing arachnephobia, especially when seeing a tarantula or black widow in their homes!

Spiders, Spiders Everywhere

A person who has an excessive fear of spiders: Some arachnophobics fumigate their homes on a regular basis, wash all fruits and vegetables, and check incoming bags and other containers where spiders might be hiding.

Arachnohobics are usually unable to go on a picnic or stay in strange hotels or houses, and they usually check around themselves when they are outside. Some people have been known to become physically sick at the sight of a arachnid.

One arachnophobic said, "Seeing a spider makes me rigid with terror, hot, trembling, and dizzy. I have occasionally vomited and once I fainted in order to escape from the situation. These symptoms have lasted as long as three or four days after seeing a spider in my house."

"Even realistic pictures can cause the same effect, especially if I place my hand on one by mistake."

Another arachnophobic said, "Recently I came downstairs early in the morning and walked into a spider hanging on a long web and it actually touched my face and in my fear I tore at my face, scratching it in several places, became hysterical, and was bleeding."

A dislike or dread of numbers: There are some people who have arithmophobia and avoid adding up such numeral figures and therefore will never have a job as a clerk in a bank or a salesperson in a store!

A person who has an abnormal fear of numbers in general, or of specific numbers: Doug was an arithmophobiac who was extremely afraid of the the numeral 13!

An extreme fearfulness of men: Patty suffered from arrhenophobia because of the bad experiences she had by her dominant father and because of his abuse toward her mother.

An excessive fear of fire or of setting something on fire: Those who suffer from arsonophobia usually avoid striking matches, cigarette lighters, or attending places that involve the action of cooking outdoors over a campfire.

Historically, blazing flames have been a source of both fear and awe, with both divine and evil interpretations, and such evil associations sometimes exist for anyone who suffers from arsonophobia.

Obviously, the arsonist shown here is NOT suffering from arsonophobia!

An unexplained fear of weakness, such as by losing one's physical, social, or some kind of political control: When a person has asthenophobia , he or she may also be afraid of fainting when working too hard.