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zoophobia

American  
[zoh-uh-foh-bee-uh] / ˌzoʊ əˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun

Psychiatry.

  1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of animals.

zoophobia British  
/ zəʊˈɒfəbəs, ˌzəʊəˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

  1. an unusual or morbid dread of animals

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • zoophobic adjective
  • zoophobous adjective

Etymology

Origin of zoophobia

First recorded in 1900–05; zoo- + -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.

Zoophobia, or dread of certain animals, has been mentioned under another chapter under the head of idiosyncrasies.

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.