homophobia

American  

[hoh-muh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌhoʊ məˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

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

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homophobia British  

/ ˌhəʊməʊˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. intense hatred or fear of homosexuals or homosexuality

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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

• homophobe noun
• homophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of homophobia

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

Example Sentences

Hertfordshire Police said "the investigating officer leading the reinvestigation did not identify discrimination or homophobia within the investigation".

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2025

"There was no system for doing so and I was frightened it would make me look bad," he said, adding he felt homophobia in Parliament had declined during his 24 years as an MP.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2025

Through “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” Murphy attempted to critique the homophobia that drove the narrative surrounding the case in the same way he and his team used the O.J.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2022

“What if we have a school-wide discussion on diversity? We could show our videos and discuss issues like racism, sexism, and homophobia related to current events, like the Black Lives Matter movement or celebrating Pride.”

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh