The term Wiccaphobia stands for the fear of witches or fear of witchcraft and is derived from the combination of the Old English word wicca meaning male witch (wicce is female witch) and the Greek word phobos which means deep aversion or fear. Wiccaphobia is a relatively common phobia that has a great deal of historical significance. In this article, we will study the … [Read more...]

Among all the weird phobias that actually exist, Papaphobia or the extreme fear of the pope tops the list. It is not a joke: indeed, the extreme fear of the authority of the pope or papacy may sound bizarre and shocking even, but it does exist. The world Papaphobia originates from Greek word for father, pappas. Papaphobia may sometimes be closely related to … [Read more...]

The fear of pumpkins or Cucurbitophobia is an excessive, irrational and unreasonable fear of, well, pumpkins. The word Cucurbitophobia comes from Latin cucurbita which represents different members of the pumpkin family (Cucurbita maxima). Cucurbitophobia is quite common. Now that Halloween is just round the corner, it is not surprising to see children bursting into … [Read more...]

Deipnophobia or the fear of dining or dinner conversations is one of the unusual but very real phobias that exist to torture people around the dinner table. The word Deipnophobia is derived from Greek ‘deipno’ which can be translated as ‘dinner conversation’ and ‘phobos’ which is ‘aversion’ or ‘deep fear’. Deipnophobia is also believed to be a fear of large meals or … [Read more...]

Ideophobia is the morbid fear of new ideas or thoughts. The word originates from Greek Idėes meaning ideas and phobos meaning deep fear or aversion. In its clearest sense, ideophobia definition is as follows: The fear of ideas is an anxiety disorder characterized by new ideas or a general distrust or irrational fear of a new thought. People living with this fear are … [Read more...]

Fear of colors is called Chromophobia – a word derived from two Greek words namely Chromos and Phobos which respectively mean color and fear or deep aversion. Note that Chromatophobia or Chromophobia is often denoted as the fear of smells or odors. However, there is another word for fear of smells, which is Osmophobia. So, when we say that someone is a Chromatophobe … [Read more...]

The morbid fear of sex, sexual intimacy or sexual intercourse is known as Genophobia. Another name for this fear is Erotophobia- a term coined from two Greek words Eros-the Greek God of Love and phobos which means deep fear or aversion. The word Genophobia also comes from the Greek words: Genos meaning offspring and phobos or fear. Most people, men and women, enjoy … [Read more...]

Botanophobia is the extreme, unwarranted and often irrational fear of plants. The word Botanophobia is derived from Greek word ‘botane’ which means grass or pasture, and ‘phobos’ which is Greek for deep aversion or dread. Another possible origin of this word is also from the Greek word Botanikos which means herbs, since some people are only terrified of certain herbs (or … [Read more...]

Epiplaphobia as the name indicates is the extreme, irrational and often unwarranted fear of furniture. Some people might be afraid only of certain types of furniture; still others are specifically afraid only of antiques. One of the most famous celebrities having the extreme fear of antique furniture is Billy Bob Thornton, who, reportedly, is also afraid of silver. … [Read more...]

Tonsurephobia is the fear of getting a haircut. The word Tonsurephobia is derived from Greek words ‘Tonsure’ meaning ‘ to cut’ and ‘Phobos’ meaning ‘deep dread or aversion’. While the majority of us love going to a salon to get our hair styled and trimmed, there are some people who absolutely detest the idea of getting a haircut. Children in particular are known to … [Read more...]

Papyrophobia is the extreme, unwarranted and irrational fear of paper. The word Papyrophobia is derived from Greek or Egyptian papyro or Papyrus meaning paper and phobos meaning deep dread or aversion. The fear of paper generally includes the fear of touching paper, writing on it, or simply getting cut by it. Some extreme cases of Papyrophobia often have the sufferer … [Read more...]

Entamaphobia or the fear of doors is a debilitating phobia often associated with Agoraphobia and Claustrophobia. The word Entamaphobia is derived from a combination of Greek words ‘Eisodos and portos’ for entrance or entryway and ‘phobos’ which is the Greek God of fear. In a way, Entamaphobia is very similar to Agoraphobia or the fear of open doors. In Entamaphobia … [Read more...]

The extreme, often irrational fear of flowers is called Anthophobia. The word Anthophobia is a combination of two Greek words namely anthos meaning flowers and phobos meaning fear or deep aversion. Often the excessive fear of flowers is confused with the fear of nature. However, Anthophobia is different in that; the sufferer is mainly only afraid of flowers and not of … [Read more...]

Scriptophobia is the extreme fear of writing in public. The word Scriptophobia is derived from the Latin word script meaning writing and phobos which is the Greek word for fear or dread. Graphophobia is very similar to Scriptophobia but it is more specific in that; it is related to the extreme and often irrational fear of handwriting. Both Scriptophobia and … [Read more...]

Lachanophobia is an unwarranted or an irrational fear of vegetables. The word originates from Greek Lachno meaning vegetables and Phobos meaning fear or aversion. Many people dislike vegetables and avoid eating them; however, in case of Lachanophobes, the dislike or hatred actually turns into a full blown panic attack at the mere sight or thought of … [Read more...]