homophobia

[hoh-muh-foh-bee-uh]

noun

1. an aversion or hostility to, disdain for, or fear of gay sexual orientation or gay people.

homophobia

/ ˌhəʊməʊˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. intense hatred or fear of homosexuals or homosexuality

Sensitive Note

The combining form -phobia is used in some words that describe intolerance toward a group of people as defined by nationality, ancestry, sexual identity or orientation, creed, or race: homophobia , Islamophobia , transphobia . Though there is an element of fear when interacting with the unknown or the Other, words in this category are not primarily about anxiety; rather, these terms are commonly associated with hatred or disgust. The use of -phobia words to indicate hostility toward groups of people is therefore frequently criticized. Advocates and activists representing these groups recommend using the prefix anti- instead, in words such as antigay , anti-Islam , antitrans .

Other Word Forms

• homophobic adjective
• homophobe noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of homophobia¹

First recorded in 1960–65; homo(sexual) + -phobia; popularized by the American psychologist George Weinberg (1929–2017); an earlier sense “fear of men or humankind” was first recorded in the 1920s, from Latin homō “man, human being” + -phobia

Word History and Origins

Origin of homophobia¹

C20: from _homo ( _sexual ) + _-phobia

Example Sentences

He acknowledged that the move may attract more homophobia.

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Common sense alone tells us that conversion therapy is being driven more by parents than kids themselves, because homophobia is a learned and not in-born attitude.

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He’s also working to overcome childhood trauma, including his father’s homophobia.

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Brown first shared the news in a direct message to The Daily Aus's social media account after watching coverage of recent incidents of homophobia in the AFL.

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Social media and the ubiquity of smartphones have allowed citizens to expose instances of genuine, and often institutionalized, racism, sexism, homophobia and consumer exploitation.

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