transphobic
adjective
trans·pho·bic
ˌtran(t)s-ˈfō-bik 
ˌtranz-
: having or showing discrimination against, aversion to, or fear of transgender people
If you go out of your way to intentionally misgender someone, however, that is transphobic.—
Catherine Caruso
Catherine CarusoExamples of transphobic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Back in February, the actor defended his son after Soulja Boy called him a transphobic slur while publicly feuding with Wayans.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 2 May 2025
Elon Musk’s estranged daughter Vivian Wilson has responded to a transphobic social media comment from her father with a classic quote from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Coughlan is not the only celebrity to speak out in opposition to Rowling, 59, who first came under fire in 2020 for making comments that were widely condemned as transphobic.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
An onslaught of transphobic social media harassment targeting Earl follows.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 18 Apr. 2025
Such is the case with this 15-minute fictionalized short inspired by the traumatic aftermath of a real event — when a group of Proud Boys in 2022 stormed a Drag Queen Story Hour program at the East Bay’s San Lorenzo Library and proceeded to hurl gay and transphobic slurs there.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
The Context New figures from the DfE show that school exclusions for transphobic or homophobic behavior rose from 164 in 2021–22 to 178 in 2022–23.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The Trump administration has also targeted transgender service members and nominated an openly transphobic Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
—Dr. Sean Patterson, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 2025
It’s become a flashpoint for an often-misinformed debate about how women are allowed to compete in sports and has subsequently triggered an onslaught of online, transphobic abuse toward athletes.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Abby Monteil, Them., 2 May 2025
Elon Musk’s estranged daughter Vivian Wilson has responded to a transphobic social media comment from her father with a classic quote from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
Coughlan is not the only celebrity to speak out in opposition to Rowling, 59, who first came under fire in 2020 for making comments that were widely condemned as transphobic.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
An onslaught of transphobic social media harassment targeting Earl follows.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 18 Apr. 2025
Such is the case with this 15-minute fictionalized short inspired by the traumatic aftermath of a real event — when a group of Proud Boys in 2022 stormed a Drag Queen Story Hour program at the East Bay’s San Lorenzo Library and proceeded to hurl gay and transphobic slurs there.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
The Context New figures from the DfE show that school exclusions for transphobic or homophobic behavior rose from 164 in 2021–22 to 178 in 2022–23.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The Trump administration has also targeted transgender service members and nominated an openly transphobic Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
—Dr. Sean Patterson, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 2025
It’s become a flashpoint for an often-misinformed debate about how women are allowed to compete in sports and has subsequently triggered an onslaught of online, transphobic abuse toward athletes.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Transphobic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transphobic. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share