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phobophobia

American  
[foh-buh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌfoʊ bəˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

  1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of developing or experiencing a phobia; anxiety about encountering a phobia trigger and experiencing panic or other phobia symptoms.

Other Word Forms

  • phobophobic adjective

Etymology

Origin of phobophobia

First recorded in 1840–45; from Greek phóbo(s) “panic, fear” + -phobia

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.

Phobophobia, the fear of being afraid, is another coinage of the wordmakers.

From Project Gutenberg

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.