Phobic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfəʊbɪk/

Definitions

1. Having a strong, irrational fear or dislike of something specific
2. Showing extreme unease or avoidance due to a dread of a particular thing or situation
3. Demonstrating an intense, often unreasonable fear or repulsion toward certain objects or ideas

Etymology: Phobic is simply the adjective built from "phobia" with the suffix "-ic", meaning "of or relating to" the condition. The root "phobia" comes from Greek "phobos", meaning fear or dread, and the same Greek element appears in older English words such as hydrophobia, the name once used for rabies because of the fear of water it seemed to cause in sufferers. The adjective has its own quieter story: as "-phobia" words multiplied in modern usage, "phobic" became the everyday way to describe a person who has such a fear, so a term that began as a technical description of a medical condition gradually spread into ordinary speech. Its meaning has also widened beyond clinical fear, which is why it now appears in phrases describing a general dislike of something.

Synonyms: fearful, anxious, scared, terrified, dreadful

Antonyms: brave, confident, unafraid, courageous, bold