The English suffixes -phobia, -phobic, -phobe (of Greek origin) occur in technical usage in psychiatry to construct words that describe irrational, disabling fear as a mental disorder (e.g., agoraphobia) and in biology to descibe organisms that dislike certain conditions (e.g., acidophobia). In common usage they also form words that describe dislike or hatred of a particular thing or subject.

Many people apply the suffix "-phobia" inappropriately to mild or irrational fears with no serious substance; however, earlier senses relate to psychiatry which studies serious phobias which disable a person's life. For more information on the psychiatric side of this, including how psychiatry groups phobias as "agoraphobia", "social phobia", or "simple phobia", see phobia.

The following lists include words ending in -phobia, and include fears that have acquired names. In many cases people have coined these words as neologisms, and only a few of them occur in the medical literature. In many cases, the naming of phobias has become a word game.

Most of these terms tack the suffix -phobia onto a Greek word for the object of the fear (some use a combination of a Latin root with the Greek suffix, which many classicists consider linguistically impure).

In some cases (particularly the less medically-oriented usages), a word ending in -phobia may have an antonym ending in -philia - thus: coprophobia / coprohilia, Germanophobia / Germanophilia.

See also the category:Phobias.

Phobia lists

A large number of "-phobia" lists circulate on the Internet, with words collected from indiscriminate sources, often copying each other.

Some regard any attempt to create a list of phobias as an irrational endeavor because, theoretically, a person could become conditioned to have a fear of anything. Also, a significant number of unscrupulous psychiatric websites exist that at the first glance cover a huge number of phobias, but in fact use a standard text (see an example below) to fit any phobia and reuse it for all unusual phobias by merely changing the name. For a couple of striking examples.

"... Poor performance or grades. Promotions that pass you by. moths phobia will likely cost you tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of your lifetime, let alone the cost to your health and quality of life. Now Moths Phobia can be gone for less than the price of a round-trip airline ticket."

"... The expert phobia team at CTRN's Phobia Clinic is board-certified to help with Russophobia and a variety of related problems. The success rate of our 24 hour program is close to 100%"

Standard "-phobia" description template

Substituting the string "<something>" with the name of any specific phobia in the text below will give you a fairly correct description. Numerous websites that promise cures for thousands of phobias take this template approach. This does not necessarily mean that they sell snake oil, because the psychological mechanisms of most specific probias resemble each other.

<Something>phobia means "fear of <something>".

The condition often significantly impacts the quality of life. It can cause panic attacks and keep people apart from loved ones and business associates. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and overall feelings of dread, although everyone experiences <something>phobia in their own way and may have different symptoms.

Though a variety of potent drugs are often prescribed for <something>phobia, side-effects and/or withdrawal symptoms can be severe. Moreover, drugs do not "cure" <something>phobia. At best they temporarily suppress the symptoms through chemical interaction.

Like other phobias, <something>phobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. At some point in your past, there was likely an event linking failure or defeat and emotional trauma. Whilst the original catalyst may have been a real-life scare of some kind, the condition can also be triggered by myriad, benign events like movies, TV, or perhaps seeing someone else experience trauma.

The actual phobia manifests itself in different ways. Some sufferers experience it almost all the time, others just in response to direct stimuli. Everyone has their own unique formula for when and how to feel bad.

Well-documented phobias

• Acidophobia - Preference for non-acidic conditions
• Acrophobia, Altophobia - Fear of heights.
• Agoraphobia - Fear of the outdoors, crowds or uncontrolled social conditions.
• Aichmophobia, Belonephobia, Enetophobia - Fear of needles or of pointed objects.
• Algophobia — Fear of pain
• Androphobia, Arrhenphobia, Hominophobia - Fear of men.
• Anthropomorphobia - Fear or dislike of anthropomorphic traits.
• Aquaphobia, Hydrophobia - Fear of water, specifically the morbid fear of drowning.
• Arithmophobia, Numerophobia - Fear/dislike of numbers.
• Astraphobia, Astrapophobia, Brontophobia, Keraunophobia - Fear of thunder, lightning and storms. It occurs especially commonly in young children.
• Aphenphosmphobia, Chiraptophobia, Haphephobia, Haptephobia - Fear of being touched.
• Athazagoraphobia - Fear of being forgotten, ignored or forgetting.
• Aviophobia, Aviatophobia - Fear of flying.
• Bathophobia - Fear of depth.
• Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces.
• Glossophobia - Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
• Gymnophobia, - Fear of nudity.
• Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles or amphibians.
• Homophobia - Fear of sameness, monotony, homosexuality or of becoming homosexual.
• Hydrophobia - Fear of water, a symptom of rabies.
• Hygrophobia - Fear of liquids, dampness, or moisture.
• Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia - Fear of the number 666.
• Laliophobia, Lalophobia - Fear of speaking.
• Paraskavedekatriaphobia - Fear of Friday the 13th.
• Radiophobia - Fear of radiation or X-rays.
• Sociophobia (see also "sociopath") Fear/dislike of society or people in general.
• Suriphobia - Fear of mice.
• Technophobia - Fear of technology.
• Terdekaphobia,Triskaidekaphobia - Fear of the number 13. Having a superstition.
• Xenophobia - Fear of strangers, foreigners, or aliens.
• Xerophobia - Fear/dislike of dryness.

• In many cases specialists prefer to avoid the suffix -phobia and use more descriptive terms, see, e.g., Category:Personality disorders, anxiety disorders, avoidant personality disorder, love-shyness, love sickness.

Ethnic/national phobias

• Afrophobia, fear or dislike of Africans or African culture or people of African ancestry
• Americanophobia, objections to the actions or existence of the United States of America
• Anglophobia - fear/dislike of England, English culture, etc.
• Europhobia - synonymous to Euroscepticism; also dislike of Europe, Europeans, or alternatively, the European Union.
• Francophobia - dislike of the French.
• Germanophobia - dread of things Teutonic
• Islamophobia - fear or hatred of Islam.
• Japanophobia - fear or hatred of the Japanese.
• Judeophobia - fear or hatred of Jews.
• Lusophobia - dislike of the Portuguese
• Polonophobia - fear/dislike of Poles, Polish culture, etc.
• Romanophobia - Anti-Romanian discrimination
• Russophobia - a phobic attitude towards Russia or Russians.
• Serbophobia - a dislike, fear or hatred of Serbs or Serbia.
• Sinophobia - fear/dislike of the Chinese, Chinese culture, etc.

Joke phobias

• Aibohphobia - A joke term for the fear of palindromes. The word is, of course, a palindrome itself.
• Anatidaephobia - Fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you (fictional, from a Gary Larson cartoon published in The Far Side Gallery, 4).
• Arachibutyrophobia - Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. It had circulated in the Internet for some time until it landed, e.g., at the CTRN Phobia Clinic website (in a way described above, in the section "Standard "-phobia" description template"): "Working one-on-one with one of our team, with guaranteed lifetime elimination of Sticky Peanut Butter Phobia. From $1497 and up."
• Luposlipaphobia - The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly-waxed floor (fictional, also from Gary Larson in the cartoon series "The Far Side")

Zoophobias

• Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Felinophobia, Galeophobia, Gatophobia - Dislike of cats.
• Apiphobia, Melissaphobia, Melissophobia - Fear of bees.
• Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders.
• Chiroptophobia - Fear of bats (distinct from chiraptophobia (also known as aphenphosmphobia) - the fear of being touched)
• Cynophobia - Fear of dogs or of rabies.
• Entomophobia, Insectophobia - Fear of insects. (Also the orchid genus Entomophobia)
• Equinophobia, Hippophobia - Fear of horses.
• Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles
• Ichthyophobia - Fear of fish.
• Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes.
• Ornithophobia - Fear of birds.
• Scoleciphobia, Vermiphobia - Fear of worms.
• Spheksophobia - Fear of wasps.
• Zoophobia - Fear of animals.

Other

^{Citation needed}

A

• Ablutophobia - Fear of washing or bathing.
• Achluophobia, Lygophobia, Nyctophobia, Scotophobia - Fear of darkness.
• Acousticophobia- Fear of noise.
• Aerophobia - Fear of drafts, air swallowing or airborne noxious substances.
• Agateophobia, Dementophobia, Maniaphobia - Fear of insanity.
• Agliophobia, Algophobia, Odynophobia, Odynephobia - Fear of pain.
• Agraphobia - Fear of sexual abuse.
• Agyrophobia, Dromophobia - Fear of streets or crossing the street.
• Alliumphobia - the abnormal fear of garlic that may extend to a variety of plants characterized by their pungent odor. including onions, leeks, chives, and shallots. Allium is the onion genus.
• Amathophobia, Koniophobia - Fear of dust.
• Amaxophobia - Fear of riding in a car.
• Ambulophobia, Stasibasiphobia, Stasiphobia - Fear of walking or standing.
• Anemophobia - Fear of wind.
• Anthropophobia - Fear of people or society.
• Anuptaphobia - Fear of staying single.
• Apotemnophobia - Fear/dislike of persons with amputations.
• Aquaphobia — Also known as hydrophobia.
• Arcanophobia - Fear of magic
• Arsonphobia, Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.
• Asthenophobia - Fear of fainting or weakness.
• Astrophobia - Fear of stars and celestial space.
• Ataxophobia - Fear of disorder or untidiness.
• Atychiphobia, Kakorrhaphiophobia - Fear of failure.
• Atelophobia - fear of imperfection
• Autodysomophobia - Fear that one has a vile odour.
• Automysophobia - Fear of being dirty.
• Autophobia, Eremophobia, Ermitophobia, Isolophobia, Monophobia - Fear of being alone or fear of oneself.

B

• Bacillophobia, Bacteriophobia, Microbiophobia - Fear of microbes, bacteria.
• Barophobia - Fear of loss of gravity.
• Basophobia, Basiphobia - Fear of walking or falling.
• Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
• Batophobia - Fear of heights or of being close to high buildings.
• Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians.
• Belonephobia - Fear of needles.
• Bibliophobia - Fear/dislike of books.
• Blennophobia, Myxophobia - Fear of slime.
• Bromidrosiphobia, Bromidrophobia - Dislike of body odours.
• Brontophobia, Tonitrophobia - Fear of thunder.

C

• Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness.
• Cainophobia, Cainotophobia, Cenophobia, Centophobia, Kainolophobia, Kainophobia, Neophobia - Fear of newness, novelty.
• Cancerophobia, Carcinophobia - Fear of cancer.
• Carbophobia - Fear of carbohydrates.
• Cardiophobia - Fear of heart disease.
• Catagelophobia, Katagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed.
• Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors.
• Cenophobia - Fear of empty rooms.
• Chaetophobia, Trichopathophobia, Trichophobia, Hypertrichophobia - Fear of hair.
• Cheimaphobia, Cheimatophobia, Psychrophobia - Fear of cold.
• Chemophobia - Fear of chemicals or of working with chemicals.
• Chionophobia - Fear of snow.
• Christophobia - Fear/dislike of Christianity
• Chromophobia, Chromatophobia - Fear of colours.
• Cibophobia, Sitophobia, Sitiophobia - Fear of food.
• Climacophobia - Fear of stairs or of climbing or falling down stairs.
• Clinophobia - Fear of going to bed.
• Cryophobia - Fear of extreme cold, ice or frost.
• Crystallophobia - Fear of crystals or of glass.

D

• Demophobia, Enochlophobia, Ochlophobia - Fear of crowds.
• Dendrophobia - Fear of trees.
• Dentophobia - Fear of dentists and dental procedures.
• Dermatosiophobia, Dermatophobia, Dermatopathophobia - Fear of skin disease.
• Didaskaleinophobia, Scolionophobia - Fear of going to school.
• Dikephobia - Fear of justice.
• Dinophobia - Fear of dizziness or whirlpools.
• Diplophobia - Fear of double vision.
• Dipsophobia - Fear of drinking.
• Domatophobia, Eicophobia, Oikophobia - Fear of houses or being in a house.
• Doraphobia - Fear of fur or the skins of animals.
• Doxophobia - Fear of expressing opinions or receiving praise.
• Dysmorphophobia - Fear of deformity.

E

• Eleutherophobia - Fear of freedom.
• Emetophobia - Fear of vomiting.
• Enetophobia - Fear of pins.
• Enosiophobia, Enissophobia - Fear of having committed an unpardonable sin or of criticism.
• Eosophobia - Fear of dawn or of daylight.
• Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers.
• Epistemophobia, Gnosiophobia - Fear of knowledge.
• Ergasiophobia - Fear of work or functioning, or a surgeon's fear of operating.
• Ergophobia - Fear of work.
• Ermitophobia - Fear of being alone, loneliness.
• Erotophobia - Fear of sexual love or sexual questions.

G

• Gamophobia - Fear of marriage.
• Gephyrophobia, Gephydrophobia, Gephyrdrophobia, Gephysrophobia - Fear of crossing bridges.
• Gerascophobia - Fear of growing old.
• Germanophobia, Teutophobia - Fear/dislike of Germany, German culture, etc.
• Gerontophobia - Fear of old people or of growing old.
• Graphophobia - Fear/dislike of writing or handwriting.
• Gynephobia, Gynophobia - Fear of women.

H

• Hadephobia, Stygiophobia, Stigiophobia - Fear of hell.
• Haemophobia - Fear of blood and bleeding.
• Hagiophobia - Fear of saints or holy things.
• Haptophobia - Fear of being touched.
• Hedonophobia - Fear of feeling pleasure.
• Heliophobia - Fear of the sun.
• Helminthophobia - Fear of being infested with worms.
• Hemophobia, Hemaphobia, Hematophobia - Fear of blood or bleeding.
• Hierophobia - Fear of priests or sacred things.
• Hypegiaphobia, Hypengyophobia - Fear of responsibility.
• Hypnophobia - Fear of sleep or of being hypnotized.

I

• Iatrophobia - Fear of going to the doctor or of doctors.
• Iconophobia - Fear of images or icons.
• Iophobia - Fear of poison or fear of rust.

K

• Kainophobia - Fear of novelty
• Kenophobia - Fear of voids or empty spaces.
• Keraunophobia - Fear of lightning.
• Kinetophobia, Kinesophobia - Fear of movement or motion.
• Kopophobia - Fear of fatigue.

L

• Leprophobia, Lepraphobia - Fear of leprosy.
• Leukophobia or leucophobia - Fear of the colour white.
• Librophobia - Fear of having to balance.
• Ligyrophobia - Fear of loud noises.
• Lockiophobia, Maieusiophobia, Parturiphobia - Fear of childbirth.
• Logophobia - Fear of words or of speaking.
• Lygophobia- Fear of darkness
• Lyssophobia - Fear of rabies or of becoming insane.

M

• Maniaphobia - Fear of going insane.
• Mastigophobia, Poinephobia - Fear of punishment.
• Mechanophobia - Fear of machines.
• Megalophobia - Fear of large objects.
• Melanophobia - Fear of the colour black.
• Melophobia - Fear or hatred of music.
• Menophobia - Fear of menstruation.
• Metallophobia - Fear of metal.
• Metrophobia - Fear or hatred of poetry.
• Misophobia, Molysmophobia, Molysomophobia, Mysophobia, Verminophobia - Fear of being contaminated with dirt or germs.
• Mnemophobia - Fear of memories.
• Monophobia - Fear of being alone, or of feeling alone.
• Mottephobia - Fear of moths and butterflies.
• Musophobia, Murophobia, Suriphobia - Fear of mice and/or rats.
• Mycophobia - Fear or aversion to mushrooms.
• Myrmecophobia - Fear of ants.
• Mysophobia - Fear of dirt.

N

• Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things.
• Neophobia - Fear of the new.
• Nephophobia - Fear of clouds.
• Noctiphobia - Fear of the night.
• Nosophobia, Nosemaphobia - Fear of becoming ill.
• Nostophobia - Fear of returning home.
• Numerophobia - Fear of numbers.
• Nyctophobia - Fear of the dark, of night or of nightfall.

O

• Obesophobia, Pocrescophobia - Fear of gaining weight.
• Odontophobia - Fear of teeth or dental surgery.
• Olfactophobia, Osmophobia, Osphresiophobia - Fear of smells.
• Ombrophobia, Pluviophobia - Fear of rain or of being rained on.
• Oneirophobia - Fear of dreams.

P

• Pagophobia - Fear of ice or frost.
• Panthophobia - Fear of suffering and disease.
• Paralipophobia - Fear of neglecting duty or responsibility.
• Pathophobia - Fear of disease.
• Pediphobia, Pedophobia - Fear/dislike of children.
• Peniaphobia - Fear of poverty.
• Phagophobia - Fear of swallowing, of eating or of being eaten.
• Pharmacophobia - Fear of taking medicine.
• Phasmophobia, Spectrophobia - Fear of ghosts.
• Philophobia - Fear of falling in love or being in love.
• Photophobia - Fear of light (also refers to aversion to light due to an inflamed/painful eye or excessively dilated pupils)
• Phonophobia - Fear of noises, voices, one's own voice or of telephones.
• Plutophobia - Fear/dislike of wealth.
• Pnigophobia, Pnigerophobia - Fear of choking or being smothered.
• Polyphobia - Having many phobias; fear of many things.
• Ponophobia - Fear of overworking or of pain.
• Pharmacophobia - Fear of drugs.
• Psellismophobia - Fear of stuttering.
• Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.

R

• Rhodophobia - Fear of the colour red.
• Rhytiphobia - Fear of getting wrinkles.
• Rupophobia - Fear of dirt.

S

• Sciophobia, Sciaphobia - Fear of shadows.
• Scopophobia, Scoptophobia - Fear of being seen or stared at.
• Selenophobia - Fear of the moon.
• Siderophobia - Fear of stars.
• Sitophobia - Fear of food.
• Somniphobia - Fear of sleep.
• Sophophobia - Fear of learning.
• Soteriophobia - Fear of dependence on others.
• Spectrophobia - Fear of mirrors.
• Staurophobia - Fear of crosses or crucifixes.

T

• Tachophobia - Fear of speed.
• Taphephobia, Taphophobia - Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.
• Tapinophobia - Fear of being contagious.
• Teleophobia - Fear of definite plans or of religious ceremony.
• Thalassophobia - Fear of the sea.
• Thanatophobia, Thantophobia - Fear of death or dying.
• Theophobia - Fear of gods or religion.
• Thermophobia - Fear of heat.
• Tocophobia - Fear of pregnancy or childbirth.
• Tomophobia - Fear of surgical operations.
• Topophobia - Fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.
• Toxiphobia, Toxophobia, Toxicophobia - Fear of poison or of accidental poisoning.
• Traumatophobia - Fear of injury.
• Tropophobia - Fear of moving or making changes.
• Trypanophobia - Fear of injections.

U

• Uranophobia - Fear of the heavens.
• Urophobia - Fear of urine or of the act of urinating.

External links

• About.com's list of phobias
• Phobia listde:Liste der Phobien