as in panic
an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something
His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of phobia
Arachnophobia, the clinical term for a , is one of the world's most common phobias.
—
Jack Beresford, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Sad to say, each of these phobias have been exploited by corporate and government interests to cut down forests in a cynical ploy to tame wild nature.
—Josh Schlossberg, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2024
For those who also don’t want that lotion-y feel, or who suffer from phobias around lotion, this is the most thoughtful luxury when traveling.
—Paula Conway, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
On the contrary, hypnosis is a healing tool that helps people with anxiety, phobias, and everything in between.
—Essence, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phobia
Jack Beresford, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Sad to say, each of these phobias have been exploited by corporate and government interests to cut down forests in a cynical ploy to tame wild nature.
—Josh Schlossberg, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2024
For those who also don’t want that lotion-y feel, or who suffer from phobias around lotion, this is the most thoughtful luxury when traveling.
—Paula Conway, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
On the contrary, hypnosis is a healing tool that helps people with anxiety, phobias, and everything in between.
—Essence, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phobia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobia
Noun
-
That’s understandably caused some panic among the fan base.—
Cory Lavalette,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Spreading moral panic Trump is already actively deploying a key tactic in expanding mass surveillance: causing moral panics.—
Brittany Friedman,
The Conversation,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The revelation is the latest tragic twist for the Bibas family, who have become among the most recognizable victims of the October 7 terror attacks, with confirmation of their deaths triggering an outpouring of grief in Israel.—
Mohammed Tawfeeq,
CNN,
21 Feb. 2025
-
About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were captured in the Oct. 7 terror attack, according to Israeli officials.—
Astha Rajvanshi,
NBC News,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Simone Biles and her husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, experienced quite the scare on their honeymoon.—
Paulina Dedaj,
Fox News,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Here's a look at how Tennessee reacted to the Y2K scare from The Tennessean archives.—
Amber Roberson,
The Tennessean,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
While some financial hiccups are normal in early adulthood, ongoing instability could signal deeper struggles with budgeting, impulsivity or even financial anxiety.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Merz vowed to bring stronger leadership in Europe at a moment when Trump had sowed anxiety on the continent by scrambling traditional alliances and embracing Russia.—
Emmett Lindner,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Objects are often askew and out of frame, and everyday sounds like a toilet flush or blinds being pulled assume a low, staticky growl, as though frights fueled by childish imagination.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2025
-
In a second Instagram Stories post, the singer offered another look at the cake, featuring a large bust of a clicker, the fungal zombie-esque frights from the Last of Us video game franchise and HBO series of the same name.—
Gil Macias,
People.com,
13 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobia. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share