aviophobia

noun

avi·​o·​pho·​bia ˌā-vē-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

ˌa-

variants or less commonly aviaphobia

: intense fear or dislike of flying : aerophobia

Relatively few of the estimated 25 million Americans who suffer from aviophobia avoid flying altogether.

—Travel and Leisure

aviophobe

ˈā-vē-ə-ˌfōb 

ˈa-

noun

or less commonly aviaphobe or aviophobic

ˌā-vē-ə-ˈfō-bik 

ˌa-

or aviaphobic

plural aviophobes also aviaphobes or aviophobics or aviaphobics

Who doesn't love the feeling you get when you're high in the air on a plane, heading for somewhere—anywhere—different? Well, aviophobes for one, who find nothing but fear in the friendly skies.

—Adria Vasil

aviophobic adjective

or less commonly aviaphobic

I'd come straight from an American Airlines flight during which an aviophobic widow had wadded various handfuls of my blouse and jacket into her fists the entire trip.

—Jennifer Rardin

Examples of aviophobia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Only a small percentage of people actually suffer from clinical aviophobia. —Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

aviophobia from avi- (in aviation, aviator) + -o- + -phobia; aviaphobia from avia- (in aviation, aviator) + -phobia

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

aviophobia

noun

avi·​o·​pho·​bia ˌā-vē-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə, ˌa- 

variants also aviaphobia

: fear of flying : aerophobia