acrophobia

American  

[ak-ruh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌæk rəˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of heights.

   I knew my acrophobia would keep me off of the competitive diving platforms, but I was surprised when walking the diving board three feet above the pool deck also terrified me.

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acrophobia British  

/ ˌækrəˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. abnormal fear or dread of being at a great height

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acrophobia Cultural  

1. An abnormal fear of heights.

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Other Word Forms

• acrophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of acrophobia

First recorded in 1890–95; acro-, -phobia

Example Sentences

Had I had acrophobia before, or did my subsequently lifelong case of it begin then and there?

From The New Yorker • Dec. 16, 2019

It caused multiple audience members during a screening to have a mild case of acrophobia.

From Washington Times • Oct. 24, 2017

He discovered while training that he was afflicted with acrophobia — fear of heights.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2015

At the beginning of his presidency, Dwight Eisenhower was forced to break with the tradition  of his predecessors and give up the presidential suite in the Towers because his wife, Mamie, suffered from acrophobia.

From Salon • Mar. 7, 2014

Dread of Small Heights.—It is often thought that acrophobia, or the fear of a height, concerns only great heights and that ordinary elevations produce no discomfort.

From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)