ochlophobia

American

[ok-luh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌɒk ləˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

Psychiatry.

an irrational or disproportionate fear of crowds, especially an extreme fear that a crowd will become moblike or violent.

ochlophobia British

/ ˌɒkləˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

psychol the fear of crowds

"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

ochlophobic adjective
ochlophobist noun

Etymology

Origin of ochlophobia

First recorded in 1890–95; from Greek óchlo(s) “mob” + -phobia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023