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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of phobia
Unexplained phobias or aversions have also been thought to have been transferred over from a past existence.
—
Saskia Solomon, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Alleging Child Labor Abuse Interestingly, these reports also mention phobias or preferences that are associated with the past life’s mode of death or lifestyle.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Happy memories were pleasant, but others led to phobias (of bird droppings, for instance).
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024
Luckily, there’s a cure for those suffering from forest fire phobia.
—Josh Schlossberg, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia 
Saskia Solomon, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Alleging Child Labor Abuse Interestingly, these reports also mention phobias or preferences that are associated with the past life’s mode of death or lifestyle.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Happy memories were pleasant, but others led to phobias (of bird droppings, for instance).
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024
Luckily, there’s a cure for those suffering from forest fire phobia.
—Josh Schlossberg, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for phobia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phobia
Noun
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The forceful move propelled French exhibitors in a state of panic, but also led for negotiations to be re-launched.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2025
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The cause of the panic remains unclear, but distressing scenes unfolded as families searched for missing relatives and rescuers aided the injured.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Washington — Justice Department lawyers and defense attorneys for the three men accused of planning the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks squared off before a federal appeals court Tuesday in a court fight over whether plea agreements reached with the defendants last summer can go forward.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2025
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In exchange, Israel released 121 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment for deadly terror attacks and an additional 79 prisoners serving lengthy sentences.—
Efrat Lachter,
Fox News,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The film costars Jamie Foxx, who is making a comeback of his own after a startling 2023 health scare forced his retreat from acting.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Forget about sonic devices, essential oils, and other scare devices to repel chipmunks.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Participating in rituals and routine has been shown to provide solace against anxiety and grief.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2025
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The students who had higher anxiety tended to be those who treated their pets more like friends or family.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Thesaurus Entries Near phobia
Cite this Entry
“Phobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phobia. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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