aviophobia

[ey-vee-uh-foh-bee-uh, av-ee-]

noun

Psychiatry.

1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of flying in an airplane or other aircraft.

Other Word Forms

• aviophobic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aviophobia¹

First recorded in 1975–80; perhaps avi(ation) + -o- + -phobia

Example Sentences

As many as 40 percent of all airline passengers have at least mild apprehension about flying, experts say, and people with serious aviophobia fall roughly into two groups.

Read more on New York Times

An oddball friendship, or at least a foxhole sense of camaraderie, develops between the two, with Mr. Grodin’s character veering from abject fear — “I have aviophobia,” or fear of flying — into moments of quiet absurdity.

Read more on Washington Post

Only a small percentage of people actually suffer from clinical aviophobia.

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Fear of flying, or aviophobia, is an anxiety disorder.

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But perhaps the best way to get over the fear of flying — and the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 2.5 to 6.5 percent of Americans suffer from aviophobia — is to look at the facts.

Read more on Fox News