-phobe

1. a combining form used to form personal nouns corresponding to nouns ending in -phobia:

   Anglophobe.

-phobe

combining form

1. indicating a person or thing that fears or hates

   xenophobe

   Germanophobe

Derived Forms

• -phobic, combining_form:in_adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of -phobe¹

From Greek -phobos, adjectival derivative of phóbos “panic fear”

Word History and Origins

Origin of -phobe¹

from Greek -phobos fearing

Example Sentences

The Italian people is not, and can not be at this moment, either phil or phobe regarding any other people.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -phobe

What does -phobe mean?

The combining form -phobe is used like a suffix to indicate the personal noun form of words that use the form -phobia, meaning “fear.” The form -phobe roughly means “someone with a fear.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in psychology and biology.

The form -phobe comes from Greek phóbos, meaning “fear” or “panic.” The Latin translation is timor, “fear,” which is the source of words such as timid and timorous.

What are variants of –phobe?

A less common variant of -phobe is -phobiac, as in agoraphobiac.

The form -phobe is also related to two other combining forms: -phobia and -phobic. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.

Examples of -phobe

An example of a scientific term that features -phobe is hydrophobe, “a hydrophobic, or water-repelling, substance.”

The hydro- part of the word likely looks familiar; it means “water,” from Greek hýdōr. The -phobe part of the term means “someone with a fear,” and hydrophobe literally translates to “water-fearer.”

What are some words that use the combining form –phobe?

• aelurophobe
• arachnophobe
• germaphobe
• homophobe
• technophobe
• xenophobe

What are some other forms that -phobe may be commonly confused with?

• -phone
• -phony
• -phore

Break it down!

The combining form xeno- means “alien” or “strange.” With this in mind, what does xenophobe mean?