: an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation
1
: exaggerated fear of
acrophobia
2
: intolerance or aversion for
photophobia
Examples of phobia in a Sentence
Noun
His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
The balance between witty humor and monster mayhem is perfectly calibrated, with John Goodman bringing the laughs as a gregarious exterminator and Jeff Daniels providing twitchy paranoia as a small-town doctor with an intense phobia of all things arachnid.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
There are not enough studies to support acupuncture as an effective treatment for other types of anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and separation anxiety disorder.2
Does Acupuncture Help With Anxiety?
—Michelle Pugle, Verywell Health, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia 
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Noun
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
The balance between witty humor and monster mayhem is perfectly calibrated, with John Goodman bringing the laughs as a gregarious exterminator and Jeff Daniels providing twitchy paranoia as a small-town doctor with an intense phobia of all things arachnid.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
There are not enough studies to support acupuncture as an effective treatment for other types of anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and separation anxiety disorder.2
Does Acupuncture Help With Anxiety?
—Michelle Pugle, Verywell Health, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia
Dictionary Entries Near phobia
Cite this Entry
“Phobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phobia. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
phobia
noun
pho·bia
ˈfō-bē-ə 
: an unreasonable, abnormal, and lasting fear of something
Medical Definition
phobia
noun
pho·bia
ˈfō-bē-ə
: an exaggerated and often disabling fear usually inexplicable to the subject and having sometimes a logical but usually an illogical or symbolic object, class of objects, or situation compare compulsion, obsession
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