Phobia List - List of Phobias List of Phobias Skip The Comments and Give Me The List! A Note About This Phobia List This list of phobias is included primarily for entertainment purposes (have fun reading the comments!). From a peak performance perspective, finding another label to put on yourself is not usually helpful. However, it can provide you with a sense of comfort in knowing that you aren't alone. This list of phobias is not intended to be a complete reference. If you have any suggestions for additions, corrections, or changes of the content, please click the "Customer Service" link to contact me. Phobia Categories Medically, phobias are classified as an anxiety disorder.

Phobias are generally divided into five types: Phobias of animals (snakes, spiders, dogs) Phobias of the natural environment (thunder, lightening, water) Phobias of blood / injection / injury ( seeing blood, getting a shot, going to the dentist, or having a medical procedure) Phobias that are situational (high places, driving, flying) Other phobias are phobias that don't fit into any of the other four categories (fears of swallowing, blushing, or vomiting). Phobia Etymology The word "phobia" comes from the Greek "phobos" which means fear. The prefix of the word for each of the phobias should, technically, also have a Greek origin. However, many names of phobias use a root from classic Latin and sometimes other languages. "Etymology" is the Greek word for "I know more words than you do." History of This Phobia List I started building a list of phobias when I was in the 7th grade back in 1982. My Reading teacher, Mr.

Salinas, gave us a list of 25 phobias as part of a vocabulary-building exercise, and that sparked my interest in words and word roots. After I started helping people eliminate fears and phobias in 1995, it became a practical need for me to be familiar with various names of phobias that people would ask me about. The list started building from there. What Makes This Phobia List Different? Anyone can make up a phobia list by taking the Greek or Latin root and adding "phobia" to the end. You can search for "phobia list" and find a number of websites that have a phobia list with varying degrees of completeness and usefullness. This site different in several ways: 1) A distinction is made between the phobias typically recognized by the medical profession and those phobias which are not. The phobias bolded and listed in this color font are the phobias typically recognized by the medical profession. 2) Since I enjoy playing with words, I've (playfully) added a number of phobias to this list, or in my comments about other phobias. Yes, I made them up.

Just so you'll know, these phobias are listed in this font. 3) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this website also offers a solution for those visitors who may be suffering from a phobia. Phobia List Phobia List "A" Phobias Ablutophobia: fear of washing or bathing. Not to be confused with Blutophobia (fear of Bluto), which is what Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oil had a case of. Acarophobia: fear of itching or of the insects that cause itching. Acerophobia: fear of experiencing a sour taste. Achluophobia: fear of the dark. Don't confuse this one with Achoophobia, which is the fear of sneezing. Acousticophobia: fear of noise or sounds, sometimes one's own voice. It's not unusual for people to disike the sound of their own voice when listening to a recording of it, however, that's not a phobia or fear, just a basic insecurity. From the Greek "akoustikos" which means "pertaining to hearing.". Acrophobia: fear of acrobats. Just kidding. Really, it's the fear of heights.

People who suffer from acrophobia may feel like they are being pulled toward the edge of a high place. This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. Acrophobia comes from the Greek word "acron," meaning height. Aeroacrophobia: fear of open high places. If you've got this phobia, you definitely won't take a holiday visiting Masada. Aeronausiphobia: fear of vomiting after experiencing airsickness. Aerophobia: fear of flying. This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. Did you notice the serious decline in air travel after the events of 9/11? Aerophobia also means an irrational fear of fresh air or drafts of air. Aerophobia comes from the Greek "aero," which means air or gas. Also referred to as aviatophobia or aviophobia. Sometimes aerophobia is also referred to as being the fear of swallowing air, or airborne substances. Agliophobia: fear of pain. Agoraphobia: fear of public places, open areas, or fear of crowds.

Also the fear of leaving or travelling too far from a safe place, This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. People with agoraphobia feel anxious if they even think about being trapped in a situation where it might be difficult to leave. People with agoraphobia usually avoid the situations which trigger anxiety or panic. Agoraphobia is highly variable in severity. People with mild agoraphobia often live normal lives by avoiding anxiety-provoking situations. But, in the most severe cases, the victims may be incapacitated and never leave their house. If I work in person with someone who has agoraphobia I always make sure they are highly motivated to overcome the fear. . . I don't make housecalls! (That is a joke. . . ) Agoraphobia comes from the Greek "agora," meaning marketplace. Agraphobia: fear of sexual abuse. Also known as Contreltophobia Agrizoophobia: fear of wild animals. Agyrophobia: fear of crossing streets, highways and other thoroughfares; or fear of streets themselves. Agyrophobia comes from the Greek "gyrus" meaning turning or whirling.

Aibohphobia: A joke term for the fear of palindromes (you can figure it out!). Aichmophobia: fear of needles or pointed objects. From the Greek word "aichme," which means point. This fear can be life threatening if it prevents the sufferer from seeking needed medical attention. Ailurophobia: fear of cats. People with ailurophobia may fear being scratched or bitten by a cat or they may fear cats altogether, sometimes as a result of being exposed to too much Halloween folklore or general superstition. From the Greek "ailouros," meaning cat. Alternate spellings: "Aelurophobia," "elurophobia." "Galeophobia" is an alternate name for fear of cats. Albuminurophobia: fear of kidney disease. Albumin is a water soluable protein that can occur in various tissues and fluids. Its presence in urine is often symptomatic of kidney disease. From the Latus albus, which means " white." Alektorophobia: fear of chickens. On the other hand, many chickens are afflicted with ColonolSandersphobia. Algophobia: fear of pain.

Free advice: don't work with any therapist who wants to use exposure therapy for this one. Alogophobia comes from the Greek word "algos," meaning pain. I found one website where they had mislabeld algophobia as being the fear of garlic (really!). Maybe they have a lot of vampires as clients? The modern Greek word for garlic (according to a wikipedia article) is "skordo" so I think fear of garlic would actually be "skordophobia". I'm not sure how they got that mixed up. At any rate they mentioned that working one-on-one with their trained staff, the treatment should take no more than 10 hours and cost was listed as "$1,497 USD (and up)." Alliumphobia: fear of garlic. In vampires this phobia is second only to crucifixaphobia (and in at least one parallel universe BuffyPhobia). Actually there is a real term for the fear of crucifixes: staurophobia. "Allium" is the Latin word for garlic. However, being pure to form, I believe the Greek root "skordo" (garlic) would be more appropriate. Allodoxaphobia: fear of opinions.

This is common in extreme fundamentalist groups where free-thinking can be dangerous to their rigid belief-structure. Altophobia: fear of singers who have a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. Just kidding! It's really the fear of heights, which is more commonly referred to as acrophobia (see above). Amathophobia: fear of dust. From the Greek "amathos," meaning sand. Mario Buatta, a well-known interior designer said "Dust is a protective coating for fine furniture." Amaxophobia: fear of riding in a car. Ambulophobia: fear of walking. If you have this phobia and amaxophobia, you're pretty much not going anywhere. Amnesiphobia: fear of amnesia. If you actually come down with amnesia, the bright side is that at least chances are good you'll forget that you have this phobia! Amychophobia: fear of scratches or being scratched. Anablephobia: fear of looking up. Anatidaephobia : (joke phobia) the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you. This one originates from a "Far Side" cartoon by Gary Larson.

See Luposlipaphobia for another one. Ancraophobia: fear of wind. Androphobia: fear of men. "Androphobia" is derived from the Greek "andros" (man). Androidophobia: fear of androids or robots. Anemophobia: fear of air drafts or wind. Anemophobia: fear of wind. Klaoanemophobia is the fear of breaking wind (which quite a number of people have in social settings). Anestesiaphobia: fear of loss of sensation, or fear of being under anestesia, usually during surgery. From the Greek root "anaisthesia" which means insensibility. Anginophobia: fear of angina, choking or narrowness. Anglophobia: fear of England, or of the English culture. There are several rare sub-categories of this phobia, including Beatlephobia, MontyPtyhonophobia, and GodSaveTheQueenophobia. Angrophobia: fear of becoming angry.

Bruce Banner had a major case of this ("Don't make me angry - you won't like me when I'm angry.") For those of you who don't remember (or don't know), Bruce Banner is the fictional comic book character who was exposed to gamma radiation which resulted in his transforming into the "Hulk" when he was angry or under stress. Ankylophobia: fear of joint immobility. Anthophobia: fear of flowers, or parts of flowers. Dating someone with anthophobia can save you a lot of money around Valentine's day, birthdays, and other holidays. "Anthophobia" is derived from the Greek word "anthos" which means flower. Anthropophobia: fear of people or society. Antlophobia: fear of floods. After all of the coverage of the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I would not be surprised if a lot of people developed this phobia. Anuptaphobia: fear of not getting married, or of staying single. From the Latin "nuptialis" which means wedding. Apeirophobia: fear of infinity. Aphenphosmphobia: fear of being touched. Apiphobia: fear of bees.

The word "apiphobia" comes from "api-" from the Greek "apis" meaning bee. Apiphobia is also called melissophobia, since "melissa" is another Greek word for bee. Apotemnophobia: fear of persons with amputations. Aquaphobia: fear of water. People with aquaphobia experience anxiety when in or near oceans, rivers, lakes, creeks or even a bathtub or shower. Boating and swimming are no fun. Forget scuba diving altogether. A rare sub-form known as aquamanophobia is the fear of the DC Comics superhero Aquaman. The word is from the Latin "aqua," which means water. Arachibutyrophobia: fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. This one was on my list of phobias that my 7th grade Reading techer gave me! Arachnophobia: fear of spiders. Arachnophobia is ranked number one on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. One medical site suggested that arachnophobia is really "fear of the unknown, since most spiders are harmless." Remember that phobias are, by definition, an irrational fear.

We may use logic to justify or validate the fear, but the all the logic in the world will not abate the emotional response. "Arachnophobia" is derived from the Greek "arachne" meaning spider. Arithmophobia: fear of numbers. Mine started with long division in the 5th grade! Arrhenophobia: fear of men. Arsonphobia: fear of fire. Ashenophobia: fear of fainting or weakness. Astraphobia: fear of thunderstorms. Interestingly, people with this phobia seem to take great delight in watching the weather channel, or local News stations give constant and sensational coverage of storms. If you feed the fear, it grows bigger! "Astraphobia" is derived from the Greek "aster" meaning star . Related term: Brontophobia, which is the fear of thunder. Astrophobia: fear of stars and celestial space. Asymmetriphobia: fear of asymmetrical things. Pablo Picasso definitely did not have this phobia! Ataxiophobia: fear of ataxia (muscular incoordination) Ataxophobia: fear of disorder or untidiness. Don't confuse this one with Taxophobia, which is the fear of taxes.

InternalRevenueServiceaphobia? IRSaphobia? Atelophobia: fear of imperfection. Atephobia: fear of ruin or ruins. Athazagoraphobia: fear of being forgotten or ignored or forgetting. Atomosophobia: fear of atomic explosions. Atychiphobia: fear of failure. "B" Phobias Bacillophobia: fear of bacteria. See below. Bacteriaphobia: fear of germs. Sufferers from bacteriaphobia experience undue anxiety even though they realize that most germs do not cause diseases. Some people with this phobia may also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and to avoid germs, they may repeat cleaning rituals, such as washing their hands or face, avoid touching other people or themselves, or even various objects. "Bacteriaphobia" is derived from the Greek "bacterion" meaning staff. The Greek word for "staff" was chosen because some bacteria are rod-shaped, like a staff. Alternate spelling: Bacteriophobia. Alternate name: Bacillophobia. Bacteriophobia: fear of bacteria. Ballistophobia: fear of missiles or bullets. Bolshephobia: fear of Bolsheviks.

Basophobia: fear of walking or falling. Also listed as Basiphobia. Bathmophobia: fear of stairs or steep slopes. Bathophobia: fear of depths. The feared object may be a long, dark hallway, a well or a deep pool or lake. "Bathophobia" is derived from the Greek "bathos" meaning depth. Batophobia: fear of heights or being close to high buildings. Batrachophobia: fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts, salamanders, etc. Belonephobia: fear of pins and needles. (Aichmophobia) Bibliophobia: fear of books. Bogyphobia: fear of bogeys or the bogeyman. Botanophobia: fear of plants. Bromidrosiphobia or Bromidrophobia: fear of body smells. Brontophobia: fear of thunder. "Brontophobia" is derived from the Greek "bronte" which means thunder. This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. A related term: Astraphobia, fear of thunderstorms. Bufonophobia: fear of toads. Cainophobia or Cainotophobia: fear of newness, novelty.

Caligynephobia: fear of beautiful women. Carcinophobia: fear of cancer. Carcinophobia is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. People with this phobia worry that they may develop cancer or obsess over anything that happens with their body, believing that it may be a sign of cancer. From the Greek "karkinos" which means cancer. Cardiophobia: fear of the heart. Carnophobia: fear of meat. Catagelophobia: fear of being ridiculed. Catapedaphobia: fear of jumping from high and low places. Cathisophobia: fear of sitting. Cenophobia: fear of new things or ideas. This phobia is also listed as Centophobia. Ceraunophobia or Keraunophobia: fear of thunder and lightning.(Astraphobia, Astrapophobia) Chaetophobia: fear of hair. Cheimaphobia or Cheimatophobia: fear of cold.(Frigophobia, Psychophobia) Chemophobia: fear of chemicals or working with chemicals. Cherophobia: fear of gaiety. Chiraptophobia: fear of being touched. Chirophobia: fear of hands.

Cholerophobia: fear of anger or the fear of cholera. Chorophobia: fear of dancing. Chrematophobia: fear of money. Sufferers worry that they might mismanage money or that money might really be "the root of all evil." Actually, that's quite a common misunderstanding. The actual quote says the "love of money is the root of all evil." From the Greek "chrimata" which means money. A related term is chromatophobia, which may be related to he Greek word "chroma" (color) because of the brilliant colors of ancient coins--for example, gold, silver, bronze and copper. Chromophobia or Chromatophobia: fear of colors. Chronophobia: fear of time. Chronomentrophobia: fear of clocks. Cibophobia: fear of food.(Sitophobia, Sitiophobia) Claustrophobia: fear of closed spaces, of being closed in or being shut in, as in elevators, tunnels, or any other confined space. Even sitting in one of the middle seats in a theatre may cause anxiety. This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias.

The word "claustrophobia" is derrived from the Latin "claudere," which means to shut. Cleithrophobia or Cleisiophobia: fear of being locked in an enclosed place. Cleptophobia: fear of stealing. Climacophobia: fear of stairs, climbing, or of falling downstairs. Clinophobia: fear of going to bed. Sufferers worry about having nightmares or wetting the bed, and often remain awake and develop insomnia. Insomnia then can become a real threat to their well-being. "Clinophobia" is derived from the Greek "klinein" which means to bend, slope or incline, such as while sleeping. Clithrophobia or Cleithrophobia: fear of being enclosed. Cnidophobia: fear of stings. Cometophobia: fear of comets. Coimetrophobia: fear of cemeteries. Coitophobia: fear of sexual intercourse. Among the symptoms of coitophobia are failure to achieve an erection (erectile dysfunction) and failure to achieve orgasm (anorgasmy).

"Coitophobia" is derived from the Latin "coitus," which means "to come together." Contreltophobia: fear of sexual abuse. Coprastasophobia: fear of constipation. Coprophobia: fear of feces. Sufferers go out of their way to avoid coming into contact with feces or sometimes even seeing feces. "Coprophobia" is derived from the Greek "kopros," meaning dung. Alternate names: Koprophobia, scatophobia. Coulrophobia: fear of clowns. Counterphobia: Other sites define this as being "The preference by a phobic for fearful situations." In my opinion this is not an accurate description. "Counter" is derrived from the Middle English "countren," from Anglo-French "cuntre," which means against, , and ultimately from the Latin "contra," which means or opposite. So this phobia should be defined as the fear of opposites. Someone who likes fearful situations would be better described as a phobophile. Cremnophobia: fear of precipices. Cryophobia: fear of cold, including cold weather and cold objects.

"Cryophobia" is derived from the Greek "kryos," which means cold or frigid. A related term is Thermophobia, fear of heat. Cryptophobia: fear of things that are hidden. You definitely won't find people with this phobia watching "Tales of the Crypt" or writing in code. "Secret Agent" would not be a good job choice. Crystallophobia: fear of crystals or glass. Cyberphobia: fear of computers or working on a computer. Cyclophobia: fear of bicycles. Cymophobia or Kymophobia: fear of waves or wave like motions. Cynophobia: fear of dogs. To avoid dogs sufferers may barricade yards or refuse to travel except in an enclosed vehicle. "Cynophobia" is derived from the Greek "kyon" which means dog. Cypridophobia: fear of prostitutes or venereal disease. Also listed as Cypriphobia, Cyprianophobia, Cyprinophobia. Decidophobia: fear of making decisions. Defecaloesiophobia: fear of painful bowels movements. Deipnophobia: fear of dining or dinner conversations. Dementophobia: fear of insanity.

Demonophobia: fear of evil supernatural beings in persons who believe such beings exist and roam freely to cause harm. Sufferers become anxious when discussing demons, when venturing alone into woods or a dark house, or when watching films about demonic possession or exorcism. "Demonophobia" is derived from the Greek "daimon," meaning deity or evil spirit. Demophobia: fear of crowds. The greek word "demo" means "people. This phobia is more commonly called Agoraphobia. Dendrophobia: fear of trees. Dentophobia: fear of dentists. Don't confuse this with the neoautodentaphobia which is the fear of getting a dent in your new car. This phobia can be serious because sufferers will often avoid needed medical treatment. Derrived from the Latin word "denti" which means tooth. Dermatophobia: fear of skin lesions. Dermatosiophobia or Dermatophobia or Dermatopathophobia: fear of skin disease. Dextrophobia: fear of objects at the right side of the body. Diabetophobia: fear of diabetes.

Diarrheaphobia: fear of getting diarrhea, usually accompanied with the fear of not being able to get to a bathroom in time, and of making a mess. This one falls under the category of a social phobia. From the Greek word "diarrein," which means "to flow through." Didaskaleinophobia: fear of going to school. Dikephobia: fear of justice. Dinophobia: fear of dizziness or whirlpools. Diplophobia: fear of double vision. Dipsophobia: fear of drinking alcohol. Sufferers of dipsophobia experience undue anxiety about addiction to alcohol and the effect this addiction can have on their body. "Dipsophobia" is derived from the Greek "dipsa," meaning thirst. Dishabiliophobia: fear of undressing in front of someone. Dogmaphobia: fear of beliefs or opinions. Don't confuse this one with fear of dogs which is Cynophobia. Domatophobia: fear of houses or being in a house.(Eicophobia, Oikophobia) Doraphobia: fear of fur.

Sufferers of this fear avoid fur-bearing animals such as dogs, cats, foxes, beavers and rabbits because fur is repulsive to them. This fear is not always unfounded, for many furry animals can be carriers of rabies. The word "doraphobia" is from the Greek root "dora," meaning hide or skin. Doxophobia: fear of expressing opinions or of receiving praise. Dromophobia: fear of crossing streets. Dutchphobia: fear of the Dutch. Dysmorphophobia: Excessive dislike of a part of ones body. Also known as "bigorexia" when characterized by a person's obsession with an imagined defect in physical appearance. The word "Dysmorphophobia" is from the Greek "dys" plus "morphe," meaning "form." Dystychiphobia: fear of accidents. Ecophobia: fear of home. Eicophobia: fear of home surroundings. Also on some lists as domatophobia and oikophobia. Eisoptrophobia: fear of mirrors, or of seeing oneself in a mirror.

Because this fear often is grounded in superstitions, sufferers may worry that breaking a mirror will bring bad luck or that looking into a mirror will put them in contact with a supernatural world inside the glass. "Eisoptrophobia" comes from the Greek "eis," which means into, and "optikos," which means vision, image, or sight. Electrophobia: fear of electricity. Eleutherophobia: fear of freedom. Elurophobia: fear of cats. Also on soe lists as ailurophobia. Emetophobia: fear of vomiting. Sufferers are especially worried about vomiting in public and embarrassing themselves. Consequently, they often avoid office meetings, banquets, dances and other social gatherings. The anxiety produced by this phobia can cause a nervous stomach and nausea. This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. "Emetophobia" is derived from the Greek word "emetos" which means vomiting. Enetophobia: fear of pins. Enochlophobia: fear of crowds. Enosiophobia: fear of having committed an unpardonable sin or of criticism. Also listed as Enissophobia. Entomophobia: fear of insects.

To avoid insects, sufferers may frequently clean rooms and carpets, sweep hallways, spray insect-killer or seal off doors and windows. Entophobia (insect phobia) includes acarophobia (mites: scabies) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders). "Entomophobia" is derived from the Greek "entomos" which means insect. Eosophobia: fear of dawn or daylight. Ephebiphobia: fear of teenagers. Epistaxiophobia: fear of nosebleeds. Epistemophobia: fear of knowledge. Equinophobia: fear of horses. Sufferers of equinophobia experience undue anxiety even when a horse is known to be gentle and well trained. They usually avoid horses entirely rather than risk being kicked, bitten or thrown. They may also fear other hoofed animals such as ponies, donkeys and mules. "Equinophobia" is derived from the Latin "equus" which means horse. An alternate name for equinophobia is "hippophobia," derived from the Greek "hippos," which means horse. Eremophobia: fear of being oneself or of lonliness. Ergalilektriphobia: fear of power tools or using power tools.

From the Greek roots "ergaleio," meaning instrument or tool, and "ilektrismos," which means electricity. A related fear is ErgalilektriTimAllenaPhobia which is the fear of watching Tim Allen use power tools. My appreciation to Robert, the Cub Master in Michigan, without whose inquiry this word would not have been invented. Good luck with the Pinewood Derby! Ergasiophobia: a surgeon's fear of operating. If you need an operation, make sure your surgeon does not have this phobia! Ergophobia: fear of work. This fear may actually be a combination of fears, such fear of failing at assigned tasks, fear of speaking before groups at work, or fear of socializing with co-workers. "Ergophobia" is derived from the Greek "ergon" which means work. Erotophobia: fear of sexual love or sexual questions. Erythrophobia: fear of blushing. Anxiety results from worry about being the focus of attention and the subject of embarrassment. Attempts to suppress blushing often have the opposite effect. Sufferers of erythrophobia tend to avoid social gatherings and workplace projects that require them to interact with, or speak before, groups of co-workers.

"Erythrophobia" also can refer to fear of the color red because of what it may symbolize, such as blood. "Erythrophobia" is derived from the Greek "erythros" which means red. This one also shows up on some lists as Ereuthrophobia. Euphobia: fear of hearing good news. Eurotophobia: fear of female genitalia. Phobia List "G" Phobias Galeophobia: fear of sharks. People with this phobia can experience intense anxiety if they are on a boat, visiting an aquarium, on a beach, or watching any of the "Jaws" movies. My guess is that the original 1975 movie "Jaws" created a lot of galeophobs and actually caused a decline in the SCUBA diving industry. More recently, the 2004 movie "Open Water" may have also contributed.

"Galeophobia" is derived from the Greek words "galeos" meaning a "shark with markings that look like those found on a weasel." I could be mistaken (I'm not an expert on sharks or weasels) but I think I've seen more sharks with markings that do not resemble a weasel. If this wasn't actually in a medical dictionary, I would have thought it came from a Mony Python skit. Gatophobia: fear of cats. Gallophobia: fear France or of French culture. Gallogarconophobia is the fear of French waiters. See also Francophobia. Gametophobia: fear of being married. People who suffer from this phobia may fear the difficulties of living with another person or the responsibility of having a family or raising children. They may also worry about being inadequate as a sexual partner. "Gamete" is derived from the Greek word "gamete" meaning wife and "gamein" which means to marry. Geliophobia: fear of laughter. Geniophobia: fear of chins. Genophobia: fear of sex.

If your parents had this fear, chances are good that you won't (There's an existential cunundrum in there somewhere.) Genuphobia: fear of knees. Gephyrophobia: fear of crossing bridges. Their fear can be a combination of claustrophobia (fear of close spaces) and acrophobia (the fear of heights). Phobic drivers may worry so much about being in an accident or losing control of their vehicles that they avoid driving or actually create the very accident they are trying to avoid. High bridges over waterways and gorges can be especially intimidating. Very long or narrow bridges can also be particularly problematic. When I was seven years old we drove to Disney World in Florida. Although I did not have a phobia of bridges, I do remember feeling a sense of anxiety while travelling on the bridges that seemed to go for miles over the Everglades. Fear of bridges is a relatively common phobia. "Gephyrophobia" comes from the Greek words "gephyra" which means bridge. Also listed as Gephysrophobia. Germanophobia: fear of Germany or German culture. Gerascophobia: fear of growing old. People with this fear experience anxiety about aging even though they may be in good health.

They may worry about the loss of their looks, losing independence, inactivity after retirement, impaired mobility, the onset of disease, confinement in a nursing home, or hair starting to grow out of weird places on your body. "Gerascophobia" is derived from the Greek word "geras" which means old age. Gerontophobia: fear of old people or of growing old. Geumaphobia: fear of taste. Also listed as Geumophobia. Glossophobia: fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak. Could also be the fear of language. The Greek word for language is "glossa." Gnosiophobia: fear of knowledge. Graphophobia: fear of writing or handwriting. Gymnophobia: fear of nudity. People with this pobia worry about seeing others naked or being seen naked. This is common in middle or high schoolers taking their first gym class. Their fear may stem from anxiety about sexuality in general, from a fear that their bodies are physically inferior, or from a fear that their nakedness leaves their bodies exposed and unprotected. "Gymnophobia" is derived from the Greek "gymnos" which means naked. Gynephobia: fear of women.

"Gynephobia" is derived from the Greek "gyne" which means woman. Hagiophobia: fear of saints or holy things. Hamartophobia: fear of sinning. Haphephobia: fear of being touched. Also listed as Haptephobia. Harpaxophobia: fear of being robbed. Hedonophobia: fear of pleasure. People with this phobia feel guilty about experiencing pleasure even though there maybe nothing inherently "wrong" with the pleasurable activity. Their guilt usually arises from the fact that they are participating a pleasurable activity while others around them or in the world at large are experiencing nothing but illness, grief, economic hardship and other painful problems. Their guilt may also arise from the belief that life is best lived ascetically. "Hedonophobia" is derived from the Greek "hedone" which means pleasure or delight. Heliophobia: fear of the sun. Hellenologophobia: fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology. Helminthphobia: fear of being infested with parasitic worms called helminths. People with helminthphobia worry about trichinosis and other helminth diseases even though proper sanitation and hygeine is practiced.

"Helminthphobia" is derived from the Greek "helmins" which means worm. Hematophobia: fear of blood. People with this very common phobia dread the sight of their own blood, or blood of another person or animal. Sometimes printed or filmed images of blood or even thoughts of blood can cause panic. Blood may remind them of their own vulnerability to injury and of the eventuality of death. "Hematophobia" is derived from the Greek "haima" which means blood. Alternate name for hematophobia: hemophobia. Heresyphobia: fear of challenges to official doctrine or of radical deviation. Also known as hereiophobia. Herpetophobia: fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things. Heterophobia: fear of the opposite sex. Also referred to as sexophobia. Hierophobia: fear of priests or sacred things. Hippophobia: fear of horses. See "equinophobia." Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: fear of long words. There is some debate as to whether this is purely a "joke" phobia or not. Some argue that all of the greek roots are correct. The punchline is that, of course, it is such a long word.

Hobophobia: fear of bums or beggars. Hodophobia: fear of road travel. Hormephobia: fear of shock. Homophobia: fear of sameness, monotony or of homosexuality or of becoming homosexual. Hoplophobia: fear of firearms. Hydrargyophobia: fear of mercurial medicines. Hydrophobia: 1. fear of water, to drink or to swim in. 2. A term once commonly used for rabies because in the later stages of that disease, the animal (or person) has difficulty swallowing and so fears a drink of water. From the Greek "hydro" which means water. Hydrophobophobia: fear of rabies. Hyelophobia: fear of glass. Also known as hyalophobia. Hygrophobia: fear of liquids, dampness, or moisture. Hylephobia: fear of materialism or the fear of epilepsy. Hylophobia: fear of forests. Hypengyophobia: fear of responsibility. Also known as hypegiaphobia. By the way, if those phobias are not spelled correctly. . . it's not my fault! Hypnophobia: fear of sleep or of being hypnotized.

Hypsiphobia: fear of heights. Acrophobia is the more common word for this phobia. Iatrophobia: fear of going to the doctor or of doctors. Ichthyophobia: fear of fish. Ideophobia: fear of ideas. Don't confuse this with Idiophobia which is the fear of idiots. Illyngophobia: fear of vertigo or feeling dizzy when looking down. Iophobia: fear of poison. Could also be the fear of Jupiter's first moon (Io). Insectophobia : fear of insects. Isolophobia: fear of solitude, or of being alone. Not to be confused with HanSolophobia which is the fear of the fictional Star Wars protagonist by the same name. Isopterophobia: fear of termites or insects that eat wood. Ithyphallophobia: fear of seeing, thinking about or having an erect penis. Phobia List "K" Phobias Kainolophobia: fear of anything new, or of novelty. Kainophobia is another term used for this fear. Kakorrhaphiophobia: fear of failure or defeat. Katagelophobia: fear of ridicule. Kathisophobia: fear of sitting down.

Kenophobia: fear of voids or empty spaces. Keraunophobia: fear of thunder and lightning. Also referred to as astraphobia, astrapophobia, and Ceraunophobia. Kinetophobia: fear of movement or motion. Also referred to as kinesophobia. Kleptophobia: fear of stealing. Kolpophobia: fear of genitals, particularly female. Kopophobia: fear of fatigue. Koniophobia: fear of dust. Also known as amathophobia. Kosmikophobia: fear of cosmic phenomenon. Kymophobia: fear of waves. I think it should be the fear of women named "Kim" who spell their name with a "y" instead of an "i." Also known as cymophobia. Kynophobia: fear of rabies. Kyphophobia: fear of stooping. Lachanophobia: fear of vegetables. Laliophobia: fear of speaking. Also called lalophobia. Leitourgophobia: fear of public servants. "In a mature society, 'civil servant' is semantically equal to 'civil master.' " - Robert A. Heinlein. Leprophobia: fear of leprosy. Known also as lepraphobia.

Leukophobia: fear of the color white. Levophobia: fear of things to the left side of the body. Ligyrophobia: fear of loud noises. Lilapsophobia: fear of tornadoes and hurricanes. Limnophobia: fear of lakes. Linonophobia: fear of string. Liticaphobia: fear of lawsuits. Lockiophobia: fear of childbirth. Not to be confused with Lokiphobia which is the fear of mischievous god from Norse mythology. Logizomechanophobia: fear of computers. Logophobia: fear of words. I believe this could also be the fear of the symbol or trademark used by a company to identify itself. The Greek word "logos" means word. Luiphobia: fear of syphillis. Some people have loopphobia which is a fear of rollercoasters that have a path of motion that is circular or curved over on itself. Luposlipaphobia: (another joke phobia designed for a chuckle) The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly-waxed floor. This one is based on a "Far Side" cartoon by Gary Larson. See Anatidaephobia for another one.

Lutraphobia: fear of otters. Lygophobia: fear of darkness. Lyssophobia: fear of rabies or of becoming mad. Medomalacuphobia: fear of losing an erection. Medorthophobia: fear of an erect penis. Megalophobia: fear of large things. Melissophobia: fear of bees. See "apiphobia." Don't confuse this one with Melissaphobia which is the fear of girls named Melissa. Melanophobia: fear of the color black. Don't confuse this one with melonphobia which is the fear of fruit having a hard rind and juicy flesh. Melophobia: fear or hatred of music.This one is often easily mistaken with mellowphobia which is the fear of being chilled out. Meningitophobia: fear of brain disease. Menophobia: fear of menstruation. Merinthophobia: fear of being bound or tied up. Metallophobia: fear of metal. The ore or the music? Metathesiophobia: fear of changes. Metrophobia: fear or hatred of poetry. Microbiophobia: fear of microbes. Also known as bacillophobia. Microphobia: fear of small things.

Misophobia: fear of being contaminated with dirt or germs. Also called mysophobia. Mnemophobia: fear of memories. Molysmophobia: fear of dirt or contamination. Also called molysomophobia. Monophobia: fear of solitude or being alone. Monopathophobia: fear of definite disease. Motorphobia: fear of automobiles. Mottephobia: fear of moths. It seems like the word originated form the Middle English word "mothe" but is probably akin the the German word "motte" which means moth. A related term is "Lepidophobia" which is the fear of butterflies. Musophobia: fear of mice. Referred to also as muriphobia. Keeping with the tradition of using Greek roots, I suggest: zegeriaphobia (from the Greek "zegeriai," which means mouse). Mycophobia: fear or aversion to mushrooms. Mycrophobia: fear of small things. Myctophobia: fear of darkness. Mythophobia: fear of myths or stories or false statements. Myxophobia: fear of slime. Also called blennophobia. Phobia List "N" Phobias Nebulaphobia: fear of fog.

This would be more accurate if it was the fear of "dust in interstellar space". Of course, when Latin was invented they didn't know much about interstellar space, so the word was borrowed from the Latin nebulae which means mist or cloud. Since the Greek word for cloud is nephele, or nephos (see nephophobia below), they had to come up with another root to use for the fear of fog. And, according to Websters, the Old High German word "nebul" does mean "fog." Necrophobia: fear of death or dead things. Nelophobia: fear of glass. You might also watch out for girls named "Nell." Just in case. Neoautodentaphobia: fear of getting a dent in your new car. Neopharmaphobia: fear of new drugs. Neophobia: fear of anything new, of innovation, new situations, places, or things. "Neophobia" comes from the Greek "neos" meaning new. Nephophobia: fear of clouds. Noctiphobia: fear of the night. Nomatophobia: fear of names. Nosophobia: fear of becoming ill. Also called nosemaphobia.

Nostophobia: fear of returning home. Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz had Nostophilia. Novercaphobia: fear of your step-mother. Nucleomituphobia: fear of nuclear weapons. Nudophobia: fear of nudity. Showering with your clothes on takes a lot longer. Numerophobia: fear of numbers. In school it's called "Math Anxiety." Nyctophobia: fear of the dark. Very common in younger children. From the Greek "nyx" meaning night. Another term for fear of the dark is scotophobia. Obesophobia: fear of gaining weight. Also referred to as pocrescophobia. Ochlophobia: fear of crowds or mobs. Ochophobia: fear of vehicles. And, if you speak Spanish, it's also the fear of the number Eight. Octophobia : fear of the figure 8. Jules Verne's tale "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" created Octopusophobia in some people. Odontophobia: fear of teeth or dental surgery. Odynophobia: fear of pain. Also called algophobia and odynephobia. Oenophobia: fear of wines.

Oikophobia: fear of home surroundings, house. Also referred to as domatophobia and eicophobia) Olfactophobia: fear of smells. Ombrophobia: fear of rain or of being rained on. Don't mix this up with Hombrephobia, which if you speak Spanish, is the fear of man. Ommetaphobia: fear of eyes. Alternative word: ommatophobia. Oneirophobia: fear of dreams. Oneirogmophobia: fear of wet dreams. Onomatophobia: fear of hearing a certain word or of names. From the Greek word meaning "name-making." Onomatopoeiabphobia: fear of words that imitates the sound it represents Ophidiophobia: fear of snakes. Sometimes called "snakephobia," but this is not really proper form. Ophthalmophobia: fear of being stared at. Opiophobia: fear medical doctors experience of prescribing needed pain medications for patients. Optophobia: fear of opening one's eyes. I believe a lot of people are inflicted with this, figuratively speaking. Ornithophobia: fear of birds. People with ornithophobia experience anxiety about encountering or being attacked by birds.

"Ornithophobia" is derived from the Greek word "ornithos" which means bird. I wonder how many people were just fine until they saw the Alfred Hitchcock's movie "The Birds?" Orthophobia: fear of property. Osmophobia: fear of smells or odors. Also referred to as Osphresiophobia. Ostraconophobia: fear of shellfish. Ouranophobia: fear of heaven. Also spelled Uranophobia. Peccatophobia: fear of sinning or imaginary crimes. Pediculophobia: fear of lice. Pediophobia: fear of dolls. Pedophobia: fear of babies and children. "Pedophobia" comes from the Greek word "pais" which means child. Peladophobia: fear of bald people. Pellagrophobia: fear of pellagra. Pellegra is a disease caused deficiency in vitamins (niacin) and lack of protein. Peniaphobia: fear of poverty. Pentheraphobia: fear of mother-in-law. Also called novercaphobia. Phagophobia: fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten. Phalacrophobia: fear of becoming bald.

Phallophobia: fear of a penis, especially when erect. Pharmacophobia: fear of taking medicine. Phasmophobia: fear of ghosts. Phengophobia: fear of daylight or sunshine. Philemaphobia: fear of kissing. Also called philematophobia. Philophobia: fear of falling in love or being in love. Philosophobia: fear of philosophy. Phobophobia: fear of phobias. Photoaugliaphobia: fear of glaring lights. Phonophobia: fear of sound. From the Greek word "phone" which means voice, or sound. Many children have an apparant fear of loud sounds. Usually it is more of a sensitivity than a fear, but the symptoms can be similar. Some lists also suggest that it is the fear of voices (your own or other's); and fear of telephones. I think there should be a word for fear of telephone bills! Photophobia: fear of light. This is not a very common phobia. However, the medical community does use the word to refer to an abnormal sensitivity to or intolerance of light, which can be very painful.

This is not really a phobia, so, in my opinion, use of this word for light sensitivity is somewhat of a misnomer. The Greek word "phot" which means light. Phronemophobia: fear of thinking. Phthiriophobia: fear of lice. Also called pediculophobia. Phthisiophobia: fear of tuberculosis. Pluviophobia: fear of rain or of being rained on. Pneumatiphobia: fear of spirits. Pnigophobia: fear of choking of being smothered. Also spelled "pnigerophobia." Pocrescophobia: fear of gaining weight. Also referred to as obesophobia. Pogonophobia: fear of beards. Poliosophobia: fear of contracting poliomyelitis (commonly called Polio). MarcoPolophboia is the fear of the children's game played in a swimming pool (or of the Venetian explorer). Politicophobia: fear or abnormal dislike of politicians. I'm not sure is "abnormal" dislike of politicians is abnormal! Polyphobia: fear of many things. Poinephobia: fear of punishment. Ponophobia: fear of overworking or of pain.

Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple. Potamophobia: fear of rivers or running water. Potophobia: fear of alcohol. Sarmassophobia: fear of love play. Also known as malaxophobia. Satanophobia: fear of Satan. Scatophobia: fear of fecal matter. Scelerophibia: fear of bad men, burglars. Sciaphobia: fear of shadows. Also spelled "Sciophobia." Scoleciphobia: fear of worms. Scopophobia: fear of being seen or stared at. Also spelled "scoptophobia." Scotomaphobia: fear of blindness in visual field. Scotophobia: fear of darkness. Also referred to as achluophobia. Scriptophobia: fear of writing in public. Selachophobia: fear of sharks. Selaphobia: fear of light flashes. Selenophobia: fear of the moon. Seplophobia: fear of decaying matter. Sesquipedalophobia: fear of long words. Sexophobia: fear of the opposite sex. Also called heterophobia. Siderodromophobia: fear of trains, railroads or train travel. Siderophobia: fear of stars.

Sinistrophobia: fear of things to the left or left-handed. Not to be confused with Sinatraphobia which is the fear Frank Sinatra or his music. Sinophobia: fear of Chinese, Chinese culture. Sitophobia: fear of food or eating. This is one of the few phobias that can be life-threatening if not treated. Also called cibophobia, or sitiophobia. Snakephobia: fear of snakes. Also called (more properly) phidiophobia. Soceraphobia: fear of parents-in-law. Social Phobia: fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations. Sociophobia: fear of embarrassment in social situations; can have debilitating effects on personal and professional relationships. This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. Symptoms of social phobia include blushing, sweating, trembling, rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, nausea or other stomach discomfort, lightheadedness, and other symptoms of anxiety. People with this disorder tend to lead difficult and diminished lives. The emotional toll is great. Many people with social phobia have trouble reaching their educational and professional goals or even maintaining employment.

In extreme cases, a person may begin to avoid all social situations and become housebound. "Sociophobia" is derived from the Latin "socius" which means companion. Somniphobia: fear of sleep. Soteriophobia : fear of dependence on others. Spacephobia: fear of outer space. Spectrophobia: fear of ghosts. People with this phobia may fear going into woods, empty houses or dark places and may react with alarm at strange or unexplained noises. Forget watching "Poltergeist" or other movies in that genre. "Spectrophobia" is derived from the Latin "spectrum" which means appearance or apparition. Spermatophobia: fear of germs. Also spelled "spermophobia." Spheksophobia: fear of wasps. Stasibasiphobia: fear of standing or walking. Also spelled "stasiphobia" and referred to as ambulophobia. Staurophobia: fear of crosses or the crucifix. Stenophobia: fear of narrow things or places. Stygiophobia: fear of hell. Also spelled stigiophobia. Suicidaphobia: the fear of intentionally killing oneself. Suriphobia: fear of mice.

"T" Phobias Tachophobia: fear of speed. Taijin Kyofusho: a phobia which occurs most typically in Japan, is the fear of offending others by oneï¿½s inappropriate social behavior or appearance. Someone who sufferes from this phobia is afraid that his social behavior or an imaginary physical defect might offend or embarrass other people. This is an interesting contrast to social phobia in western cultures where the afflicted person is worried embarassment for himself, not about others. An article on Wikipedia subdivided this one into 4 categories: "Sekimen-kyofu, the phobia of blushing, "Shubo-kyofu," the phobia of a deformed body, similar to Body dysmorphic disorder, "Jikoshisen-kyofu," the phobia of eye-to-eye contact, and "Jikoshu-kyofu," the phobia of having foul body odor. Taijin Kyofusho literally means the disorder (sho) of fear (kyofu) of interpersonal relations (taijin). Teniophobia: fear of tapeworms. Also spelled "taeniophobia." Taphephobia: fear of being buried alive.

"Taphephobia" comes from the Greek "taphos" meaning grave. Tapinophobia: fear of being contagious. Taurophobia: fear of bulls. Teleophobia: fear of definite plans or fear of religious ceremonies. Telephonophobia: fear of telephones. Teratophobia: fear of bearing a malformed child. "Teratophobia" comes from the Greek word "teras" meaning monster Testophobia: fear of taking tests. Tetanophobia: fear of lockjaw, tetanus. Teutophobia: fear of Germans or German things. Textophobia: fear of certain fabrics. Thaasophobia: fear of sitting. Thalassophobia: fear of the sea. Thanatophobia: fear of death or dying. This one is on the Phobia List of Top 10 most popular phobias. The critically acclaimed HBO Series "Six Feet Under" addressed this subject matter. From the Greek word "Thanatos" meaning death. Also commonly referred to as Necrophobia. Theatrophobia: fear of theatres. Theologicophobia: fear of theology. Theophobia: fear of gods or religion. Thermophobia: fear of heat, including hot weather and hot objects.

To avoid heat, people with this phobia may live in a cold climate, wear light clothing, stay inside on warm days, and avoid hot water and hot foods. You will not find these people living in Texas! "Thermophobia" is derived from the Greek word "therme" which means heat. The opposite of thermophobia is cryophobia, fear of the cold. Tocophobia: fear of childbirth. "Tocophobia" comes from the Greek word "tocos" which means childbirth. Tomophobia: fear of surgical operations. Tonitrophobia: fear of thunder. Topophobia: fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright. Toxiphobia: fear of poison or of being accidently poisoned. Alternate terms: toxophobia and toxicophobia Traumatophobia: fear of injury. Trichinophobia: fear of trichinosis (a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked pork). Trichophobia: fear of hair. Also called trichopathophobia, chaetophobia, and hypertrichophobia. Triskaidekaphobia: fear of the number 13. Written reference to this fear dates to the late 1800s.

The term triskaidekaphobia appeared in the early 1900s. "Treiskaideka" comes from the Greek word for thirteen. Also known as paraskevidekatriaphobia. Although the purpose of this website is to deal with phobias and not superstitions, there is a long history of bad vibes around the number 13, going back to the Vikings and ancient Egyptians. Tropophobia: fear of moving or making changes. From the Greek "trop," which means turn. Trypanophobia: fear of injections. This is another phobia which could result in disease or even death if it prevents the person from seeking needed medical attention. From the Greek " trypa" which means hole. Tuberculophobia: fear of coming down with the disease tuberculosis or of those who have the disease already. From the Latin "tubercle," which means "lump." Tyrannophobia: fear of tyrants. From the Greek word "tyrannos," which means tyrant. Phobia List "V" Phobias Vaccinophobia: fear of vaccines or of vaccination. Have you read the ingredients in vaccines, or how many of them are made?

It would be off-topic to go into details about that here, but that would do it for me! Venereophobia: fear of catching a venereal disease. From the Latin word "venereus" which means sexual desire. Venustraphobia: fear of beautiful women. Verbophobia: fear of words. This one uses the Latin root "verbum" which means "word." Also spelled "verbaphobia." Staying with the pure Greek form, the more appropriate word for fear of words is "logophobia" (it's on the list, above.) Verminophobia: fear of worms, or the fear of being infected by worms. This one uses the Latin root "vermis," which means worm. Most phobia lists incorrectly define this one as the fear of germs. The dictionaries that I found listed the Greek word for germ as being "mikrobio," or "sperma." Vespertiliophobia: fear of bats. Vestiphobia: fear of clothing - either your own or of other people's. I wonder if this fear has inspired some people to become nudists... Vitricophobia: fear of one's stepfather.

Did you ever notice that in fairy tales it's always the stepmother who is wicked, evil, or up to no good? Have you ever seen a fairytale where it's the stepfather? What's up with that? Virginitiphobia: fear of virgins. Virgivitiphobia: fear of being raped. Vokephobia: fear of returning home. This could stem from having an abusive home situation, or due to living in houses (like the infamous one in Amityville) that may be haunted by evil spirits or poltergeists which do not take a liking to having living beings there. This is quite the opposite problem that severe agoraphobics have, which is the fear of leaving home. Phobia List "X" Phobias Xanthophobia: fear of the color yellow or the word yellow. The urbandictionary (dot com) also has this entry for Xanthophobia: fear of the fantasy series known as Xanth, by Piers Anthony, or the sci-fi/fantasy genre as a whole. "I've never met anyone with such a bad case of xanthophobia.

She never even saw "Lord of The Rings." Xeniaphobia: a fear of foreign doctors, usually having to do with strong foreign accents making it difficult to understand their English. Also, if travelling in a foreign country, the fear that doctors may have inadequate medical skills. Xenodochiophobia: fear of foreign hotels that could include the fear that there won't be soap, the kind of toilet paper that you like, clean towels, or good maid service. Xenoglossophobia: fear of foreign languages. Xenonosocomiophobia: fear of foreigners who are pick-pockets. Xenophobia: fear of strangers or foreigners. This word is also commonly used to describe a hatred of foreigners and of strange or foreign things. Derrived from the Greek word "xenos" which means stranger. Xerophobia: fear of dryness or of dry places, such as deserts, where a lack of water might cause a slow, painful death. The Greek word for dry is"xeros." Xeroxophobia: fear of using anything made by Xerox, or fear of office equipment in general. Xylophobia: fear of wooden objects (like xylophones). Also used to describe the fear of forests.

From the Greek "xylo," or "xyla," which means wood. Xyrophobia: fear of razors. The modern Greek word for razor is "xyrafi." Phobia List "Z" Phobias Zelophobia: fear of jealousy. The Greek dictionary I found said that the modern Greek word for "jealosy" is " ziliaris." So this one might be more correctly spelled "ziliphobia." The online Latin Dictionary at the University of Notre Dame listed "zelotypus" as being the Latin word for jealous, while another English to Latin dictionary I found listed (what looks to me more like a Latin word) "invideo," meaning to envy, or be jealous of. This is also very close to the word "zeal" which, according to Webster's is from the Greek word "zelos" which means enthusiasm. Zemmiphobia: fear of the great mole rat. Someone, somewhere, is having a good, private chuckle over this one. This is one of those phobias that everybody includes on their Phobia List because everyone else has it, and there is certainly a shortage of phobias starting with the letter "z," so why not?

In researching this one I found out some interesting things about rats, but the only Greek roots for rat that I could find were, well. ... all in Greek, but none of them appeared to start with the letter "z." The Greek root for mouse is "zegeriai," so that could give us a new name for the mouse phobia - zegeriaphobia (the existing ones being "Musophobia" and "Suriphobia." After striking out on the linguistic resources, I decided to turn to the field of science. The Latin genus for rat is "rattus" of which there are 56 different species. As far a mole rats go I found the plain "Mole Rat" (Bathyergus, Cryptomys, Heliophobius (African Mole Rat), Tachyoryctes), the "Naked Mole Rat" (Heterocephalus glaber), the "Blind Mole Rat" (with 2 genera and 8 species), the "African Silvery Mole Rat (heliophobius argenteocinereus), and the "Cape Mole Rat" (Georychus).

I also found "Mole crickets," "Mole shrews," "Water moles," and even a "duck mole." But nowhere did I find anything about the "Great mole rat." If anyone has any clues about this one, please let me know. Zeusophobia: fear of God or gods. Here's another one that someone made up, but did not put too much thought into it. Zeus is a very specific figure in Greek mythology. So this phobia should really be the fear of Zeus. In Greek, there are other roots which refer to god or gods more generally: ktistes (founder, i.e. God - as author of all things) and theos (a deity, especially with the supreme Divinity). Theophobia is already on most lists as the fear of god or religions, but in my opinion there's a big difference between god and religion. So I recommend ktistesophobia as the fear of God. Zoophobia: fear of animals, in general, or sometimes used to refer to fear of a specific animal if there is not a specific phobia word for that particular fear. "Zoo" is from the Greek word meaning "living being."

Question: Soceraphobia is the irrational fear of which members of the family?
Answer: Parents-in-law