nyctophobia

American  

[nik-tuh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌnɪk təˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of night or nighttime darkness.

   My nyctophobia is debilitating during the short days and long nights of winter.

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nyctophobia British  

/ ˌnɪktəʊˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. psychiatry an abnormal dread of night or darkness

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Other Word Forms

• nyctophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of nyctophobia

First recorded in 1890–95; nycto- + -phobia

Explanation

If you need your bedroom to be completely dark in order to fall asleep, you definitely don't suffer from nyctophobia. Anyone with this irrational fear is terrified by the darkness of the night. A phobia is a feeling of extreme anxiety about something that's almost always harmless. Nyctophobia adds the Greek nykti, "night," to phobia, or "fear." Being intensely afraid of the dark at night is very common, especially in children. Even adults sometimes get spooked when the lights go out — especially after watching a scary movie. It's only when that fear becomes overwhelming and persistent that it may be diagnosed as nyctophobia.