phobic
adjective
of or relating to a phobia or phobias.
phobic
1 American
[foh-bik]
/ ˈfoʊ bɪk /
adjective
noun
-phobic
2
American
phobic
British
/ ˈfəʊbɪk /
adjective
noun
Usage
What does -phobic mean? The combining form -phobic is used like a suffix to create the adjective form of words ending in -phobe, a form that roughly means “someone with a fear.” In other words, -phobic means "of, relating to, or characteristic of something with a fear." It is often used in scientific terms, especially in psychology and biology. The form -phobic is made from a combination of two combining forms. The first is -phobe, from Greek phóbos, meaning "fear" or "panic." The second form is the suffix -ic. The suffix -ic ultimately comes from Greek -ikos, an ending used to form adjectives. What are variants of -phobic?While -phobic doesn’t have any variants, it is related to two other combining forms: -phobia and -phobe. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of phobic1
First recorded in 1895–1900; phob(ia) + -ic, or by abstraction from adjectives ending in -phobic
Origin of -phobic2
Explanation
If you're so scared of germs that you aren't able to shake people's hands or touch doorknobs, you can call yourself phobic. People who are phobic have strong, irrational fears. A fear that isn't based in reality is a phobia, and someone who has this kind of fear is phobic. It's not uncommon to be phobic of heights, airplanes, snakes, or the dark. Being phobic goes beyond a dislike or mild anxiety, though — if you're truly phobic of something, you're sometimes unable to face it without trembling or feeling your heart race. The Greek root, phobos, means "fear."
Vocabulary lists containing phobic
Never Fear: Phobia, Phobic
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Genre Study 2 – Realistic Fiction
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: phob
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Hopefully overcoming that phobic response will allow somebody to feel much more empowered when they walk into a medical situation," he says.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025
With hundreds of years of baseless myth to supply us, it’s no wonder as many as six percent of people are phobic of arachnids.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 12, 2024
“They are now marketing Botox to people in their 20s, and if you get people to be phobic about aging when they’re young, you have an ever-replenishing market for your products.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2023
In this early project, Goodman described himself as commitment phobic while Walsh purported to fall in love perhaps too easily.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 31, 2023
He became so germo- phobic that he wouldn’t tolerate anyone coming near his food.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
