phobiapho‧bi‧a /ˈfəʊbiə $ ˈfoʊ-/ noun [countable, uncountable] 
Owen has a phobia about snakes. Some children suffer from school phobia.► see thesaurus at fear—phobic adjective
WORD ORIGINphobia
Origin:
1700-1800 Modern Latin, Late Latin -phobia, from Greek, from phobos ‘fear’EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- But just as with other phobias, one of the best therapies is to just go ahead and do it.
- He had provided a father-confessor figure to absolve the youngster's sins and absorb his phobias.
- Individuals with specific fears and phobias can learn to become unafraid.
- It shows itself in powerful emotions that surprise us, in the richness of dream images, and in phobias and prejudices.
- It took Shapiro just three months to overcome 25 years of bridge phobia.
- Patients with depression, phobia, and obsessions were helped the most, patients with schizophrenia not as reliably.
- Some people's phobia about cancer is so extreme that they can not bring themselves to think about it seriously.
- What is the cause of cat phobia?
THESAURUS
a feeling of being frightened: · He was trembling with fear.· Fear of failure should not stop you trying.
a feeling of great fear, because you think that something terrible is about to happen: · She let out a scream of pure terror.
a sudden feeling of fear, or a situation that makes you feel this: · My body was shaking with fright.· You gave me a fright!· He’s had a bit of fright, that’s all.
a sudden feeling of fear or nervousness that makes you unable to think clearly or behave sensibly: · She was in such a panic that she hardly knew what she was doing!· There were scenes of sheer panic immediately following the bomb blast.
a feeling of fear or worry which shows in your voice or behaviour, because you think something bad might happen: · When I mentioned her name, he looked up at me in alarm.· The streets were calm and there was no sign of alarm.
a feeling that something bad or unpleasant might happen although there is no obvious reason why it should: · She felt the same sense of foreboding she had before her father died.
a permanent strong unreasonable fear of something: · I had a phobia about going to the dentist.
Longman Language Activatorwhen you do not want to do something because you are frightened to be unwilling to do something because you are frightened about what may happen if you do it. Be scared is more informal than be afraid or be frightened: · I wanted to talk to you about it, but I was frightened.· We are urging our citizens to carry on as normal and not be afraid.· A lot of young children are frightened the first time they are put on a horse's back.be afraid/be frightened/be scared to do something: · Many old people are afraid to go out at night.be afraid/be frightened/be scared of doing something: · She asked me to come with her because she was scared of going there on her own.· He's frightened of flying in case there's a bomb on the plane.be afraid/be frightened/be scared (that): · She was afraid that if she went to the police, her husband would beat her up again.
to be unwilling to do something because you are extremely frightened about what may happen if you do it: · When my name was finally called I was terrified.be terrified (that): · I didn't tell my parents I was pregnant. I was terrified that they would throw me out of the house.be terrified of doing something: · They always travel by boat because Jimmy's terrified of flying.be terrified to do something: · She was too terrified to jump from the flames.
to feel worried and frightened about something you have to do: · I have to go to the dentist's tomorrow, and I'm dreading it.dread doing something: · The Wilsons were coming back from holiday today, and I was dreading telling them what had happened while they were away.
written to be frightened about what may happen if you do something: · Many of the gang's victims refused to give information to the police because they feared reprisals.fear (that): · The rescuers dug slowly and carefully, fearing that the wreckage might collapse on top of them.
formal to be unwilling to do something because you are worried about the possibility of trouble or danger: be fearful of: · The Energy Department, fearful of public reaction, has cancelled its plans to build four new nuclear reactors.be fearful of doing something: · The threats left her plagued by nightmares, and fearful of making public appearances. be fearful (that): · She gave up smoking when she was pregnant, fearful that it might damage her baby.
if you are unwilling to do something for fear of something bad happening, you are frightened that something bad will happen if you do it: · The workers are unhappy but will not complain for fear of losing their jobs.· I didn't turn on the light, for fear of waking the baby.· Women and the elderly refuse to leave their apartments, for fear of the hooligans who rule the streets.
to have a strong and unreasonable dislike and fear of something, especially of something that is not frightening for most people: · Carol had a phobia about snakes -- even talking about them made her shiver.· She has a phobia about telephone answering machines and will never leave a message.
WORD SETSagoraphobia, nounagoraphobic, noun-aholic, suffixanalyse, verbanalysis, nounanalyst, nounanorexia, nounantidepressant, nounautism, nounbattle fatigue, nounbehaviourism, nounbreakdown, nounbulimia, nouncatharsis, nouncertify, verbclaustrophobia, nouncognition, nouncognitive, adjectivecomplex, nouncompulsive, adjectivecounsel, verbcounselling, nouncrazed, adjectivecrazy, adjectivedefence mechanism, noundelusion, noundemented, adjectivedementia, noundenial, noundepressed, adjectivedepression, noundepressive, adjectivedepressive, nounderanged, adjectivediminished responsibility, noundipsomaniac, noundisordered, adjectivedisturbance, noundysfunctional, adjectiveeating disorder, nouneccentricity, nounego, nounelectric shock therapy, nounemotional, adjectiveexhibitionism, nounextra-sensory perception, nounfixation, nounFreudian, adjectiveFreudian slip, noungroup therapy, nounhallucinate, verbhydrophobia, nounhypnosis, nounhypnotic, adjectivehypnotise, verbhypnotist, nounhypnotize, verbid, nouninferiority complex, nouninsane, adjectiveinsanity, nounkleptomania, nounkleptomaniac, nounlibido, nounlinear, adjectivemaladjusted, adjectivemania, nounmanic, adjectivemanic depression, nounmanic depressive, nounmental, adjectivemental age, nounmental hospital, nounmentally handicapped, adjectivemidlife crisis, nounmisogynist, nounmixed up, adjectivenerve, nounnervous, adjectivenervous breakdown, nounnervous system, nounneural, adjectiveneuro-, prefixneurology, nounneurosis, nounneurotic, adjectiveobsessive, nounoedipal, adjectiveOedipus complex, nounpadded cell, nounparanoia, nounparanoid, adjectivepathological, adjectivepathology, nounpatterning, nounphallic, adjectivephobia, noun-phobia, suffixphrenology, nounpost-traumatic stress disorder, nounprecognition, nounpsyche, nounpsychiatric, adjectivepsychiatrist, nounpsychiatry, nounpsychic, adjectivepsycho, nounpsycho-, prefixpsychoanalysis, nounpsychoanalyst, nounpsychoanalyze, verbpsychobabble, nounpsychodrama, nounpsychokinesis, nounpsychological, adjectivepsychologist, nounpsychology, nounpsychopath, nounpsychosis, nounpsychosomatic, adjectivepsychotherapy, nounpsychotic, adjectivepyromaniac, nounrepression, nounresidential treatment facility, nounRorschach test, nounsadism, nounsadist, nounsafety valve, nounsanity, nounscar, nounscar, verbschizoid, adjectiveschizophrenia, nounschizophrenic, adjectiveschizophrenic, nounscrewed up, adjectivesocialize, verbsociopath, nounsplit personality, nounsubconscious, adjectivesubconscious, nounsuggestion, nounsuperego, nountherapy, nountorment, nountrance, nountrauma, nounvoyeur, nounwell-adjusted, adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Owen has a phobia about snakes. Some children suffer from school phobia.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
a strong unreasonable fear of somethingphobia about Owen has a phobia about snakes. Some children suffer from school phobia.· What is it exactly that scares those suffering from this phobia?· If you suffer from a phobia, you would probably do best to seek outside help from a professional.· This is particularly true when dealing with people who suffer from phobias of one sort or another.
Owen has a phobia about snakes. Some children suffer from school phobia.► see thesaurus at fear—phobic adjective