Finesentence

Phobic Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

😨
Save

phobic

pho-bic

🇺🇸 /ˈfoʊbɪk/ · 🇬🇧 /fˈəʊbɪk/

Definition

Context #1 | Adjective

fear-related

Phobic refers to having an extreme or irrational fear or aversion to something. It often describes individuals who experience severe anxiety or panic in response to specific stimuli or situations.

Synonyms

afraid, apprehensive, fearful, scared, terrified.

Examples of usage

  • She has a phobic reaction to spiders.
  • His phobic fear of flying prevents him from traveling.
  • Many people have phobic responses to heights.
  • Her phobic anxiety about public speaking is well-known.
  • Phobic tendencies can be challenging to overcome.

Translations

To see the translation, please select a language from the options available.

Quick facts about “phobic”

Phobic is a 2-syllable adjective (pho-bic). It is pronounced /ˈfoʊbɪk/ in American English and /fˈəʊbɪk/ in British English. On finesentence.com it has 1 meaning, 5 synonyms, and translations into 21 languages. It ranks #27,403 among the most common English words.

Origin of 'phobic'

The term 'phobic' is derived from the Greek word 'phobos', meaning fear or dread. It entered the English language in the late 19th century, initially used in psychological contexts to describe excessive fears and anxieties. Over time, 'phobic' has evolved to describe a broader range of fears, manifesting not just as a medical or psychological diagnosis but also permeating everyday language to characterize situations and feelings of intense discomfort or anxiety. The suffix '-phobia' is often attached to specific fears (such as 'arachnophobia' for fear of spiders) to denote particular phobic conditions. Its usage reflects both medical and colloquial understandings of fear and anxiety in contemporary society.

Rhymes

Phobic rhymes with claustrophobic, anaerobic, aerobic, homophobic, bobek, dobek and sobek.

See all rhymes →

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #27,403, this word represents specialized academic or technical vocabulary. It's less frequently encountered but may be valuable in specific contexts.