coulrophobia

American  

[kool-ruh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌkul rəˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of clowns.

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Usage

What does coulrophobia mean? Coulrophobia is the abnormal fear of clowns.Some people have phobias, which are fears associated with specific objects or activities. These abnormal (unusual) fears are typically considered irrational (not based on reason) because the object of the fear isn’t usually harmful. Often, these fears are formed around a traumatic event.Many (most?) people have a fear of clowns, but usually it doesn’t rise to the level of true coulrophobia.Example: I could never go to the circus because I have coulrophobia.

Other Word Forms

• coulrophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of coulrophobia

First recorded in 1980-85; coulro- (perhaps from Greek kolon “limb”; with the sense of “stilt-walker,” hence “clown”) + -phobia

Example Sentences

The series also resists the temptation to show Gacy dressed up as Pogo the Clown, the image that helped kick several generations’ claims of coulrophobia into high gear.

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2025

Several students said taking the class helped them confront coulrophobia, or clown phobia.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024

To do this, we devised a psychometric questionnaire to assess the prevalence and severity of coulrophobia.

From Scientific American • Mar. 7, 2023

Higgledy, piggledy, With coulrophobia Silly buffoons cause you Terrible fear.

From Washington Post • Oct. 17, 2019

The fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia.

From The Guardian • Oct. 31, 2016