Word
homophobic
Phoneticsho·mo·pho·bic
US/ˌhoʊməˈfoʊbɪk/
UK/hˌɒməfˈəʊbɪk/
Definitions
01prejudiced
adj. showing a dislike or fear of gay people.
adj. exhibiting or characterised by homophobia; expressing prejudice or discrimination against homosexual people.
“The company has a strict policy against making homophobic comments in the office.”
“The activist argued that systemic homophobic attitudes in the legislation prevented many couples from accessing basic legal protections.”
Usage
Usually placed before a noun or after a linking verb like 'be'.
Synonyms
02annoying or inconvenient
adj. used as a joke to describe something that is annoying or doesn't work for you.
adj. used humorously and hyperbolically to describe an object, situation, or event that is inconvenient or irritating.
“My phone died right when I needed the map; that's so homophobic.”
“The sudden downpour just as I stepped out in my new outfit felt personally homophobic.”
Slang · Humorous
Teaching tip
This is a very modern, ironic use found mostly on social media among younger generations; it should not be used in serious or formal contexts.
Synonyms
03having different coloured eyes
adj. a joke spelling of 'heterochromic' used to describe someone with two different eye colours.
adj. a deliberate, humorous misspelling of 'heterochromic', referring to an organism with eyes of different colours.
“That cat has one blue eye and one green eye; it's homophobic.”
“The internet was flooded with photos of the husky, jokingly calling the dog homophobic because of its striking heterochromia.”
Slang · Humorous
Teaching tip
This is a pun based on the phonetic similarity between 'homo-' and 'hetero-'; it is exclusive to internet meme culture.
Synonyms
04a prejudiced person
n. a person who has a dislike or fear of gay people.
n. a person who exhibits homophobia or engages in discriminatory behaviour toward homosexuals.
“He was labelled a homophobic after his public outburst against the parade.”
“The moderator was quick to ban the user, stating that the forum had zero tolerance for homophobics and other bigots.”
Informal
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From homo- (“homosexual”) + -phobic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/homophobic