Phobias are an incredibly diverse type of psychological disorder. Compared to other anxiety disorders, the causes that trigger the crises (the times when their symptoms are most noticeable) are very diverse and, in some cases, curious or directly strange.

In this article we will see a list of phobias as a small specialized dictionary in this type of clinical phenomenon, to understand which are the stimuli that trigger extreme fear or peaks of anxiety.

Phobic list: dictionary with its meaning

This is a list of phobias summarized and ordered alphabetically.

1. Acrophobia

Acrophobia is the extreme fear of heights , and is one of the most common phobias.

2. Aerophobia

As its name suggests, it is the fear of going on a plane or any kind of aircraft.

3. Agoraphobia

A phobia based on the fear of situations where the sufferer experiences a crisis and has no one around to help.

4. Arrhenophobia

This is the phobia of men , usually because of the characteristics associated with masculinity.

5. Arsonophobia

Arsonophobia is the intense and clinically significant fear of fire.

6. Self-dysomaphobia

This curious phobia is the extreme fear of smelling bad .

7. Basophobia

This is the phobia of falls that can lead to injuries or broken bones.

8. Bathophobia

Batrophobia is the extreme fear of depth, usually in bodies of water.

9. Bovinophobia

Bovinophobia is the fear of cows, bulls, oxen and all similar animals belonging to the bovine family.

10. Brontophobia

Fear of storms, lightning and thunder is relatively common, and it wears down the quality of life of many people who need to go to therapy to overcome it.

11. Carcinophobia

Carcinophobia is the extreme fear of getting cancer.

12. Cardiophobia

This is the phobia of having a heart attack.

13. Cymophobia

Cymophobia is the fear of waves of the sea or oceans.

14. Claustrophobia

Claustrophobia is the intense fear of being in very small or narrow spaces, such as a cellar or a narrow hallway.

15. Kleptophobia

It’s the phobia of being robbed, either by breaking into our house or by taking what we have with us.

16. Coimetrophobia

This is the phobia of cemeteries, and it has a powerful cultural charge because of the fear of death.

17. Contreltophobia

This anxiety disorder is the fear of being abused or raped, and it affects women in particular.

18. Dentophobia

This is the phobia of the dentist , and can lead to serious health problems in the mouth.

19. Diabetophobia

This is the phobia of the possibility of developing diabetes, so it is a matter of avoiding everything that can trigger its appearance.

20. Electrophobia

We are faced with electricity phobia, that is, the tendency to take excessive care not to have electrical current accidents.

21. Entomophobia

Entomophobia is a general phobia of insects.

22. Phobophobia

Photophobia is the fear of one’s own fear, a snake that bites its own tail.

23. Gymnophobia

This is the phobia of nudity , either one’s own or another’s.

24. Gelotophobia

This type of phobia has to do with social interactions, since it is the fear of being made fun of.

25. Glossophobia

This is one of the most common phobias: intense fear of public speaking.

26. Hamartophobia

This psychological disorder is related to religion, since it is the fear of sinning.

27. Hemophobia

This is the phobia of blood and other elements associated with it, such as wounds or injections. It is one of the most frequent phobias on this list, and the one for which people go to psychotherapy the most.

28. Iophobia

This is one of the most curious elements of this list of phobias, as it is the fear of being poisoned. It is related to delusional thinking, although it does not go beyond this aspect of life.

29. Katsaridaphobia

This is one of the most easily understood anxiety disorders by those who do not experience it: it is the phobia of cockroaches.

30. Lithacaphobia

The name already suggests the meaning of this anxiety disorder: the phobia of litigation and legal proceedings in general. There is a fear that someone will accuse us.

31. Lochiophobia

This anxiety disorder arises in women who develop a fear of giving birth.

32. Mastigofobia

Mastigophobia is the intense fear of punishment . It usually occurs in children, not so much in adults.

33. Myrmecophobia

Myrmecophobia is the phobia of ants, which is problematic, considering how common these insects are.

34. Necrophobia

Necrophobia is the fear of dead bodies, and it is usually more intense if they are human.

35. Nelophobia

In this case we are talking about the phobia of glass, associated with the ease with which it breaks into sharp shapes.

36. Nosocomephobia

This is the phobia of hospitals; it can arise from the unpleasant or traumatic experiences that sometimes occur in them.

37. Chiroptophobia

Chiroptophobia is the phobia of bats.

38. Selacaphobia

This consists of intense fear of the possibility of a shark attack.

39. Tacophobia

By tachophobia we mean speed phobia, in which one can be a victim of accidents oneself.

40. Thalassophobia

Thalassophobia is the extreme fear of the sea or ocean .

41. Testophobia

As the name suggests, it’s test or test phobia.

42. Zoophobia

This is another item on this list of phobias that is understood by its name. It is a concept that refers to animal phobias, although in practice it is given in relation to certain animals and not others.

Bibliographic references:

  • Bados, A.(2009). Specific phobias: Nature, evaluation and treatment. Electronic publication.
  • LeBeau RT, Glenn D, Liao B, Wittchen HU, Beesdo-Baum K, Ollendick T, Craske MG (2010). “Specific phobia: a review of DSM-IV specific phobia and preliminary recommendations for DSM-V. Depress Anxiety. 27 (2): 148 – 67.