as in panic
an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something
His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of phobia
Her germ phobia may have infected Simone with her lifelong revulsion at bodily contact.
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Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Black Sheep stars Nathan Meister as Henry, a man who grew up on a sheep farm but developed a deep phobia of them.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
What the current vanguard of intensive parenting appears to reflect is a deepening phobia of diminishing returns.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024
In addition to needle phobia, he’s identified several hurdles that stop people from injecting epinephrine sooner.
—Natallie Rocha, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia 
Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Black Sheep stars Nathan Meister as Henry, a man who grew up on a sheep farm but developed a deep phobia of them.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
What the current vanguard of intensive parenting appears to reflect is a deepening phobia of diminishing returns.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024
In addition to needle phobia, he’s identified several hurdles that stop people from injecting epinephrine sooner.
—Natallie Rocha, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobia
Noun
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Key Background After the July jobs report briefly sent a panic through Wall Street as unemployment unexpectedly spiked to 4.3%, triggering one recession indicator, concerns about the health of the labor market have abated in recent months.Derek Saul, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
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The same thing happened a year earlier, when the initial outset of the pandemic triggered a panic among investors.Max Zahn, ABC News, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Luigi Mangione already was charged with murder in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson, but the terror allegation is new.Jake Offenhartz and Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Terrifier 3—the shock horror hit where Art the Clown brings terror to the Christmas season—is arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD this week.Tim Lammers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This sudden health scare led to an outpouring of concern from fans and the media, with many speculating about his condition.Shelby Stewart, Essence, 12 Dec. 2024
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Posting a photo of a Muppet and a healthcare scare obviously isn’t something that will single-handedly change America’s for-profit healthcare system.CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Feelings of bloating, cramping, constipation or nausea often occur because of something someone has eaten, drank or as a result of anxiety or significant amounts of stress.Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
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Lazarus also encourages people not to let anxiety and fear control them.Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The main cast gets the feel and tone of what Wilson has wrought, both the frights and the frivolity.Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024
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The demand from scare-seekers for bigger, better frights has even led one haunt to expand from its spot at Royal Palm Beach’s fall festival to a standalone attraction in Loxahatchee.Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 16 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near phobia
Cite this Entry
“Phobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobia. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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