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arachnophobia

American  
[uh-rak-nuh-foh-bee-uh] / əˌræk nəˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

Psychiatry.
  1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of spiders.


arachnophobia British  
/ əˌræknəˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

  1. an abnormal fear of spiders

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • arachnophobe noun
  • arachnophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of arachnophobia

First recorded in 1925–30; from Greek aráchn(ē) “spider” + -o- ( def. ) + -phobia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If you suffer from arachnophobia, this is the time of year when you’re most likely to run into one of your worst nightmares: a tarantula.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2025

One example is a new setting that allows players with severe arachnophobia to remove the eight-legged creatures - which feature heavily in the world - from the game.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2024

How is spider misinformation related to the prevalence of arachnophobia?

From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2022

In the film, Dr. Ross Jennings suffers from arachnophobia but ultimately saves his town from a deadly spider infestation.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2022

Negri said he began raising spiders to overcome arachnophobia, and now has 60.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 23, 2021