Monday, November 8, 2010

Glossary of Phobias

A phobia is the fear of something, typically a strong, irrational fear that prompts an overreaction. Phobias can be serious psychological problems for some people, and some phobias are medical conditions.

acrophobia - heights

agoraphobia – open spaces; used to refer to very strong fear or anxiety of situations that cause a person to feel anxious, typically, but not necessary, in public or social situations

anatidaephobia – being watched by a duck; coined by Gary Larson in a Far Side cartoon

androphobia – men

anthropophobia - people

arachibutyrophobia – peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth

athazagoraphobia – forgetting, or being forgotten or ignored

cacophobia – ugliness

coimetrophobia - cemeteries

cenosillicaphobia – an empty glass; probably coined speciously by a Latin major on his 21st birthday

coulrophobia – clowns

cryophobia – cold, extreme cold, ice or frost

ergasiophobia – work or functioning, particularly a surgeon’s fear of operating

food neophobia – unfamiliar food; avoiding of or reluctance to taste unfamiliar food

iatrophobia – medical doctors

phobophobia – fear or phobias

photophobia – bright light; sufferers can have strong sensitivity to light and may experience pain or migraines

sesquipedalophobia – long words (a silly variation, not used in formal writing, is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia)

xenophobia – foreigners

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