phobia
UK /ˈfəʊ.bi.ə/ · US /ˈfoʊ.bi.ə/ noun
Forms phobias phobiae phobiæ
- noun An irrational, abnormal, or obsessive fear (of something). “I know someone with a strange phobia of ladders.”
- noun An aversion or dislike (of something).
Synonyms
Etymology
First attested in c. 1790, from words ending in -phobia, ultimately from Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, “fear”). Compare ism, from -ism, itis, from -itis, and ana, from -ana.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “phobia”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details