# phobia

/ˈfoʊbiə/ (US) · /fˈəʊbiɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/phobia
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. irrational fear

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a very strong and unreasonable fear of a particular thing or situation.

For teachers: an intense, persistent, and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity that is often disproportionate to the actual danger.

- Her phobia of heights meant she could never enjoy the view from the balcony.
- Clinical phobias often require cognitive behavioural therapy to help patients manage the physiological symptoms triggered by their specific triggers.

Usage: Commonly follows the pattern 'phobia of [noun]' or appears as a suffix in words like 'claustrophobia'.

### 2. strong dislike

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a very strong dislike or a feeling that you want to avoid something.

For teachers: a strong aversion or antipathy toward something, used less formally than the clinical sense.

- He has a real phobia of modern technology and refuses to use a smartphone.
- The director's well-known phobia of publicity made him a difficult subject for the documentary crew to track down.

Teaching tip: In casual conversation, people use this to mean a strong dislike rather than a medical condition.

## Examples

- His phobia of spiders makes him avoid the garden.
- Many people suffer from a phobia of flying, even though they know that air travel is statistically very safe.
- While a mild dislike of heights is common, a true phobia can be debilitating, causing physical symptoms like sweating and a rapid heartbeat at the mere thought of an ascent.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.