Gerontophobia, also known as fear of the elderly or aging, causes an intense fear about the concept of age-related degeneration and elderly people. The word Gerontophobia is a combination of two Greek words: geronto meaning old age and phobos meaning fear or aversion. Gerontophobia is often confused with Gerascophobia which is the fear of getting old. In a sense, the two … [Read more...]

Ithyphallophobia is the fear of an erect penis. The word is a combination of three Greek words ithy, meaning straight, phallo or phallus meaning penis, and phobos meaning deep aversion or fear. Contrary to what most would believe, this phobia can impact both women and men. A person with Ithyphallophobia is afraid of seeing an erect penis, either through clothing or without … [Read more...]

The word Genuphobia, the fear of knees, is derived from Latin genu which means knees and Greek phobos which means fear or deep aversion. A person with Genuphobia is terrified of knees or knee injury. It usually occurs following an injury to one’s own or someone else’s knees, although there could be several other reasons why this somewhat unusual phobia may occur. The … [Read more...]

Agraphobia is often confused with Agoraphobia which is the fear of open or crowded spaces. Agraphobia, on the other hand, is the fear of being sexually abused. This excessive and persistent fear typically affects young children but may well continue into adulthood. It is a complex phobia that may be linked to several other anxiety disorders and sometimes also … [Read more...]

Kenophobia is the fear of empty spaces, empty rooms, or voids. It is the opposite of claustrophobia, wherein the person is afraid of tight spaces such as elevators or crowded rooms, auditoriums or malls. In Kenophobia, the person is terrified of open fields or spaces that he or she generally expects to be filled with mountains or people. The word Kenophobia is derived from … [Read more...]

Pedophobia or Pediaphobia is the excessive fear of children, infants, toddlers, or babies. The word Pediaphobia is derived from paidia meaning children and phobos meaning aversion or fear. The words Pediaphobia and Pediophobia are often mistaken for each other. The former is a fear of babies or children while the latter is a fear of dolls. A person with Pedophobia will … [Read more...]

Pteronophobia is the fear of feathers, feathered objects, or being tickled by feathers. The word Pteronophobia comes from Greek ftero which means feathers and phobos meaning fear or deep aversion. A person with Pteronophobia is afraid of or disgusted by feathers. He or she may not even like feathered pillows or hats with feathers. They may also be afraid of birds or … [Read more...]

Ablutophobia is the excessive fear of bathing, washing or cleaning. People with this fear are afraid of taking a bath or sometimes even touching water. The word Ablutophobia comes from the Latin ablutere meaning ‘washing or cleaning off’ and Greek word phobos meaning deep aversion or fear. Nearly 66% of Americans are known to take a bath every day. In Europe though, … [Read more...]

There are literally hundreds of specific phobias known to man and nearly 6.3 million Americans suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder. One of the lesser known phobias is the fear of eyes, also known as Ommetaphobia or Ommatophobia. The word Ommetaphobia is derived from Greek ‘matia’ meaning eyes and ‘phobos’ meaning fear or deep aversion. A person with Ommetaphobia … [Read more...]

Ephebiphobia is the fear of youth or teenagers and it does not include the fear of younger prepubescent children. The word comes from Greek ephebos meaning youth or adolescence and phobos meaning deep aversion or fear. Another word for Ephebiphobia is Hebephobia. Pedophobia, on the other hand, is the fear of infants or young children but it is often mistaken for … [Read more...]

Most men love attractive women but in case of some individuals, the very thought of seeing  a beautiful woman, let alone speak to her, can cause a full blown panic attack. The scientific word for such a fear or phobia is Venustraphobia or Caligynephobia. Venustraphobia combines two Greek words: Venus which is the Greek Goddess representative of women and phobos which means … [Read more...]

Tropophobia is the fear of moving or making changes. The word comes from Greek tropo meaning ‘way’ and phobos meaning ‘fear or deep aversion’. Change is generally threatening to people. Many people simply hate changing the way they live or any disturbance in their day-to-day routine. But in Tropophobes, the mere thought of change, travel or moving leads to an intense fear … [Read more...]

Logizomechanophobia or Cyberphobia is an intense fear of computers. The word Logizomechanophobia is derived from the Greek words ‘Log’ which means ‘to talk’ or ‘word’, ‘machano’ meaning ‘machine’ and ‘phobos’ which means ‘fear or aversion’. Logizomechanophobia is a fear of computers or machines in general. A person with this phobia tends to be afraid of using a computer. … [Read more...]

Oikophobia or Ecophobia is the fear of home surroundings. Oiko is Greek for house; the word Oikophobia is a combination of oiko and phobos which stands for fear or anxiety. In a nutshell, a specific phobia such as Oikophobia or Ecophobia refers to an extreme fear of an object inside the house, or the fear of one’s surroundings that may cause injury or death along with … [Read more...]

Many of us fear a few things in life: loss of a loved one or a job, or even one’s death . But there are also people in the world who develop severe fears about places, things, certain animals or even imaginary situations. Cleithrophobia, also known as Cleisiophobia, is one such extreme fear which is the deep fear of being trapped in an enclosed or small space. The word … [Read more...]