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Twenty-Five Weird Phobias You Probably Didn’t Know Existed

Oct. 16, 2012 9:00am

Out of Hundreds of Phobias, Here Are 24 You Might Not Have Heard Of

Arachnophobia — fear of spiders — became a well-known term after the 1990 film. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

We’ve all heard of arachnophobia, claustrophobia and other well-known phobias, but there are hundreds fear of somethings out there that you probably haven’t heard of. Fear not (get it), we’re hear to bring you the wildest, whackiest, and most interesting phobias around.

According to the National Institute of Health, the medical definition of a phobia is a “a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger.”

A list curated over the last couple decades by Fredd Culbertson, a man with an interest in the origins of words, shows more than 530 phobias. Culbertson claims no medical experience and writes etymology is merely a hobby of his.

Although the majority of them could be dubbed as unusual phobias, we’ve pulled out this small sampling — one from each alphabetical category — of ones we thought you may never have heard of before. According to Culbertson, there is a referenced fear of:

  • Air swallowing- Aerophobia
  • Bullets- Ballistophobia
  • Chins- Geniophobia
  • Dining or dinner conversations- Deipnophobia
  • Englishness- Anglophobia
  • Freedom- Eleutherophobia
  • Good news, hearing good news- Euphobia
  • Handwriting- Graphophobia
  • Insects that eat wood- Isopterophobia
  • Joint immobility- Ankylophobia
  • Knees- Genuphobia
  • Left-handed; objects at the left side of the body- Sinistrophobia
  • Mother-in-law- Pentheraphobia
  • Number 8- Octophobia
  • Otters- Lutraphobia
  • Phobias- Phobophobia
  • Rain- Ombrophobia
  • Sun or sunlight- Heliophobia
  • Trees- Dendrophobia
  • Ugliness- Cacophobia
  • Vegetables- Lachanophobia
  • Words, long- Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
  • X-rays or radiation- Radiophobia.
  • Yellow color- Xanthophobia.
  • Zemmiphobia- Fear of the great mole rat.

Culbertson has a had to specially explain hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia — fear of long words — on his website. Culbertson writes he’s received some questions regarding this one, but states that it can be found in The Word Lover’s Dictionary by Josefa Heifetz and it is also in a medical paper. He explains that the ironically long word, given its phobia, sees its origins in the Greek word for horse – hippo. He writes that hippos, like a hippopotamus, are generally large. Monstro comes from the world monstrous also meaning big. He continues analyzing the word writing “sesquipedalian means given to using long words…comes from Latin meaning measuring a foot and a half.”

The letter without a formal phobia that Culbertson has verified in medical writings and reference books is Q. He does not claim this list to be inclusive of all phobias and it doesn’t include ones that aren’t necessarily verified with a formal name. Some phobias received popularized names that aren’t really technical terms. The Cooking Channel recently featured strange food phobias (via Gawker), like mayophobia (fear of mayonaise), which is one of these popularized phobias.

The NIH states that people with a serious phobia should avoid the trigger so as not to experience panic and other symptoms. It does state that treatment, which can include medicine and/or therapy “helps most people with phobias.”

Check out Culbertson’s list for more phobias here.

If you know of any other strange phobias, feel free to share in the comments section.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

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Comments (54)

1 2
  • KickinBack
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 3:33pm

    Freedom- Eleutherophobia

    Also in the dictionary under “liberal”…

    Report this comment

    KickinBack  
  • Rayblue
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 2:55pm

    Phobiaphobia.
    Or the fear of the fear of phobias.
    Phobiaphobiaphobia.

    Report this comment

    Rayblue  
    • Rayblue
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:01pm

      Fear of the “Fish Cheer”…
      The Whatsthatspellophobia.

      Report this comment

      Rayblue  
    • Rayblue
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 4:37pm

      Fear of male intimacy..
      Beauphobia.
      Fear of lack of phobias..
      Nophobia.

      Report this comment

      Rayblue  
  • mjs6029
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 2:55pm

    I actually have “Hodophobia” – the fear of travel. Just thinking about getting in a car to go to work or drive home from work makes me tense up. I don’t just have a fear of travel I have a hatred for it. What if something goes wrong? Flat tire, accident, engine overheating, stuck on the highway, having to go to the bathroom, no water to drink, dehydrating and dying on the side of the road and having someone pick my pockets leaving no identification! Oh wait, that’s just a normal commute to work and back. Nevermind.

    Report this comment

    mjs6029  
  • truthnstuff
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 2:52pm

    koyettsu, you hit the nail on the head!!!!

    Report this comment

    truthnstuff  
  • Lachoneous
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 1:43pm

    The good news is that all of these phobias are covered under Osamacare and Disability!

    Report this comment

    Lachoneous  
  • Eastinfection
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 1:28pm

    THE_JERK is Hebrewphobic

    Report this comment

    Eastinfection  
  • Eastinfection
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 1:26pm

    fear of the number 8- Octophobia

    Who the hell is afraid of the number 8?… Someone who got raped by a QB?

    Report this comment

    Eastinfection  
  • leetpriest
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 12:51pm

    You forgot “homophobia” which means any of the following, according to the intolerant sodomite community:

    - a person adheres to traditional values
    - a person who practices a religion in which homosexual activities are viewed as a sin
    - anyone who eats chick-fil-a
    - anyone who is sick of the gay agenda being shoved down their throat
    - anyone who disapproves of sexual perversion that does not give in to the relentless and constant attempts to force society to conform to the acceptance of sexual perversion.
    - christians (but not muslims)
    - jews (but not muslims)
    - people from the southeast united states
    - conservatives

    Did I miss anything?

    Report this comment

    leetpriest  
  • robstoddard
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 12:29pm

    “Monstro comes from the world monstrous also meaning big.”

    It does NOT! It comes from the Latin word monstro – monstrare which means “to point.” That’s where we get the words:
    monster – a thing people point at
    demonstrate – show or expose something, make it something people don’t point at

    Report this comment

    robstoddard  
    • LetUsReason
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 12:50pm

      Good points, but wouldn’t “demonstrate” be something that people DO point at? After all, a demonstrative is a word such as “that” or “those”; in other words, they are things you are indicating or pointing to. It seems like what you said is the opposite.

      Report this comment

      LetUsReason  
    • bgotts27
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:41pm

      Right, like “de monster is under de bed.”

      Or if deicing is removing the ice, would demonstrating be removing the monsters?

      I plan to vote to remove the liberal monsters in a couple more weeks! Let me DEMONSTRATE!

      Report this comment

      bgotts27  
    • Balpit
      Posted on October 17, 2012 at 12:00am

      Remonstrate = to point something out, to demonstrate. (Archaic)

      Report this comment

      Balpit  
  • The Gooch
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:50am

    Meh, the phobia fixation is pop psychology at best and pseudo psychology at its worst. No one wants to go there? Fine. I’ll wade in. Let’s look at one of our favorite neologisms from the past half century: Homophobia. Odd. We have a nouveau ‘psychological’ term that is more accurately a political tool to shut down debate and label any who might challenge nihilism as fearful to the point of being irrational. You can’t disagree with folks… because that means you hate and fear them. Neat trick.
    Phobias are usually a symptom, not the end all, be all diagnosis. But what do I know? I don’t have a TV show or kitchy pop culture magazine to sell. It’s like when my wife watchs a medical show and the TV doctors shock a “flatline” patient. According to folks who work in the REAL medical field, you’re not jump starting car. You’re past the old “Clear!” routine at that point.
    But it must be true, ’cause I saw it on TV. Point being, most of this garbarge is driven by pop culture, not professional psychology.
    Phobias are overwhelmingly a “look at me game” with the general population. Throw in some ‘self help” or reality TV (I’m looking at you, Phil and Oz), weekly rags and the odd political “expert” and you’ve got yourself a new hobby. Most of this crap is not professionally diagnosable. Thank goodness for the catch all anxiety diagnoses.

    Report this comment

    The Gooch  
  • Dano.50
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:42am

    A(l)goraphobia?

    Might be the fear of stupid people with an innate ability to con others out of their money.

    Report this comment

    Dano.50  
  • MaleneSBrown
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:33am

    Chins? Who’s afraid of a chin?

    Report this comment

    MaleneSBrown  
  • COFemale
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:12am

    I think at least half of the country has Obamaphobia. The fear that he will continue to be our President.

    I don’t think I have any phobias, although I don’t like spiders, I will kill them when necessary.

    Report this comment

    COFemale  
  • Flint4president
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 10:45am

    submechanophobia- a fear of submerged man-made objects. Crazy name real fear.

    Report this comment

    Flint4president  
    • OhioRifleman
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 1:23pm

      Hydroelectropyromechanecrophobia – fear of dead things that have been mechanically reanimated and are under water that is on fire and electrified.

      Just a thought.

      Report this comment

      OhioRifleman  
  • e7705
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 10:32am

    ” Fear not (get it), we’re hear to bring you the wildest, whackiest, and most interesting phobias around.”
    Glenn, you need to hire a proofreader! In just this sentence, there are two errors!

    Report this comment

    e7705  
    • okidawna
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 1:32pm

      @E7705:

      Amen, Bro! I’d do it pro bono, if it weren’t for my badgrammarphobia…

      Report this comment

      okidawna  
  • Ilikepeople
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:50am

    A psychiatrist office should be called a confession-box, because they are really thinking “Holy cow, I feel so much better about myself.”

    Report this comment

    Ilikepeople  
  • Ilikepeople
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:45am

    Then you leave the counselor’s office glancing back while heading down the hallway seeing/hearing: One book in my bookshelf, two books in my bookshelf, three books in my bookshelf………….

    Report this comment

    Ilikepeople  
  • pap pap
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:40am

    How about marxophobia ? Except it’s not an irrational fear.

    Report this comment

    pap pap  
  • Ilikepeople
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:39am

    Psychiatrist says: do you have any fears? Patient says: well I don’t like the light that comes off TV screens. Psychiatrist thinks (dangerous): That’s really mostly secluded to Monitors. Come back here next week, because you have huh, huh……Radio-phobia….yeah that’s the ticket.

    Report this comment

    Ilikepeople  
  • Ilikepeople
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:33am

    Lol, phobias. Meanwhile there is only but a handful that are legitimate. I’d say most suffer I’m-Not-Important phobia.

    Report this comment

    Ilikepeople  
    • Wool-Free Vision
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 10:33am

      Doggone it, Tim. There you go saying something extremely cogent again. This is two days in a row that you have provided an actual valid and surprisingly insightful comment. Now, if you could just learn to filter out the other 2 dozen rambling, incoherent, and somewhat nutty comments between the two, I could really start to appreciate what you bring to the table. Good job on this one though. You nailed it.

      Report this comment

      Wool-Free Vision  
  • 00100111
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:28am

    Is there a phobia name for Bush Derangement Syndrome?

    Report this comment

    00100111  
  • SamIamTwo
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:24am

    MSMismphobia anyone? Overthrow the MSMs!

    Report this comment

    SamIamTwo  
  • SamIamTwo
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:22am

    And I bet the left made up most of those phobias. LOL

    Liberalphobia is mine.

    Report this comment

    SamIamTwo  
    • CaptMickeyd
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:42am

      You forget, a phobia is an irrational fear from something that actually poses no danger. I would say fear of the liberal machine and what it can do to the nation (has done to the nation) is perfectly rational and reasonable.

      Report this comment

      CaptMickeyd  
    • COFemale
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:18am

      You forget, to those who suffer it is not irrational. We can say that because we see no threats. So actually based on the definition I suffer from Obamanophobia.

      Report this comment

      COFemale  
  • huey6367
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:07am

    Fear of inane news reports – mediaphobia. Kinda like this story.

    Report this comment

    huey6367  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:03am

    Obamaphobia: Fear of four more years of the destruction of America from within.

    Report this comment

    Gonzo  
    • ExO
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:13am

      I know I suffer from that…..

      Report this comment

      ExO  
    • Jaye Byrd
      Posted on October 16, 2012 at 9:57am

      … “a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger.”

      Be afraid, be very very afraid!

      Report this comment

      Jaye Byrd  
1 2

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