samhainophobia

American

[sahoo-win-uhˌ-foh-bee-uh] / ˌsɑʊ wɪn əˌˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

an abnormal or extreme fear of Halloween

Explanation

If the idea of trick-or-treating sends chills down your spine, and you'd much rather stay home at watch TV,you may have samhainophobia! It's a scary-sounding word that simply means "a fear of Halloween." Plenty of people find Halloween spooky; it's inevitable, with all the ghosts and monsters wandering around in the dark. For some, this apprehension takes a more serious turn, becoming a true phobia, or intense, irrational fear. Someone with samhainophobia, which is named for the ancient Celtic festival samhain, might feel so much anxiety at the sight of a jack-o-lantern or pointy-hatted witch that they can hardly breathe. This condition is usually caused by a traumatic event connected with the holiday.

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Vocabulary lists containing samhainophobia

Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: phob

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Example Sentences

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Can someone be cured of samhainophobia, or any of the related phobias mentioned above?

From Forbes • Oct. 28, 2012

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023