English Reference

Word

homophobic

Phoneticsho·mo·pho·bic

US/ˌhoʊməˈfoʊbɪk/

UK/hˌɒməfˈəʊbɪk/

Definitions

01prejudiced

B2

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'.

02annoying or inconvenient

C1

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.

03having different coloured eyes

C2

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

heterochromic

04a prejudiced person

C1

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.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/homophobic

English Reference