nosophobia

[nos-uh-foh-bee-uh]

noun

Psychiatry.

1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of disease.

nosophobia

/ ˌnɒsəˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. the morbid dread of contracting disease

Other Word Forms

• nosophobic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nosophobia¹

First recorded in 1885–90; noso- + -phobia

Example Sentences

Medical students’ disease — which has also been called “nosophobia,” meaning “fear of disease” — first gained attention in the mid-1960s after the publication of two articles from prominent psychiatric departments.

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