phobia
/'floubiə/
Definition
- Noun:
- An extreme and irrational fear: A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder involving a persistent, overwhelming, and unreasonable fear of a specific object, situation, or activity.
- A specific fear disorder: The term denotes a diagnosed condition where the fear causes significant distress or interferes with normal functioning.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- She has a phobia of spiders and will scream if she sees one.
- His fear of flying is more than just nervousness; it's a diagnosed phobia.
- Many people suffer from social phobia, which makes everyday interactions very stressful.
Advanced Usage
- Clinical Context: In psychology, "phobia" is a formal diagnostic category. The fear is recognized as irrational by the sufferer but is still uncontrollable.
- Agoraphobia, the phobia of open or crowded spaces, can be severely debilitating.
- Informal Exaggeration: Sometimes used informally to describe a strong dislike, though this is not the clinical meaning.
- I have a phobia of paperwork. (This is usually a humorous exaggeration for a strong aversion.)
Variants and Related Words
- Phobic (adj): Relating to or suffering from a phobia.
- He is phobic about heights and avoids tall buildings.
- -phobia (suffix): A combining form used to create nouns denoting specific fears.
- Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces).
Synonyms
- Irrational fear: The core characteristic of a phobia.
- Dread: A profound fear, though not always clinical.
- Terror: An extreme fear, which can be a symptom of a phobic reaction.
Related Phrases
- To have a phobia about/of something: The standard construction for stating the object of the fear.
- He has a phobia of needles.
- Phobia-induced: Caused or triggered by a phobia.
- She experienced a phobia-induced panic attack.
Related Idioms
- To be phobic about something: To behave with an extreme, often irrational aversion to something.
- He's completely phobic about germs and washes his hands constantly. (This idiom uses the adjective form to describe phobia-like behavior.)
Noun
-
an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations
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phobic disorder is a general term for all phobias
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