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* [Health](/section/health/)

# Phobias From A to Z

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> Last updated: August 2026.

## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=bea44846-07fd-42bf-b861-f42209adc13d&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1).

### Newsletter facts

| Attribute | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 |
| Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 |
| Written by | Written by TIME's health desk | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 |
| Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 |

### Readership

Health conscious and health connected. A broad health-conscious audience with a credible institutional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.

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*   Health Matters is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically.
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### FAQ

#### What is TIME's health newsletter?

Health Matters is TIME's daily health newsletter, written by TIME's health journalists. It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well.

#### Where can I get reliable health news by email?

Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on.

#### Is Health Matters free?

Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters.

#### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter?

Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.

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by 

[TIME](https://time.com/author/time/)

Mar 24, 2001 5:00 AM UTC

by 

[TIME](https://time.com/author/time/)

Mar 24, 2001 5:00 AM UTC

[A](#A) [B](#B) [C](#C) [D](#D) [E](#E) [F](#F) [G](#G) [H](#H) [I](#I) [J](#J) [K](#K) [L](#L) [M](#M) [N](#N) [O](#O) [P](#P) [R](#R) [S](#S) [T](#T) [U](#U) [V](#V) [W](#W) [X](#X) [Z](#Z) 

**A**  
 ablutophobia: fear of bathing  
 acarophobia: … itching  
 acerophobia: … sourness  
 achluophobia: … darkness  
 acousticophobia: … noise  
 acrophobia: … heights  
 aerophobia: … drafts, air  
 agliophobia: … pain  
 agoraphobia: … open spaces  
 agrizoophobia: … wild animals  
 agyrophobia: … crossing the street  
 aichmophobia: … needles and other pointed objects  
 ailurophobia: … cats  
 albuminurophobia:.. .kidney disease  
 alektorophobia: … chickens  
 alliumphobia: … garlic  
 allodoxaphobia: … opinions  
 amathophobia: … dust  
 amaxophobia: … riding in a car  
 ambulophobia: … walking  
 amychophobia: … being scratched  
 anablephobia: … looking up  
 androphobia: … men  
 anemophobia: … wind  
 Anglophobia: … Britain  
 anthophobia: … flowers  
 antlophobia: … floods  
 anuptaphobia: … staying single  
 apeirophobia: …. infinity  
 apiphobia: … bees  
 arachibutyrophobia: … peanut butter sticking to roof of mouth  
 arachnophobia: … spiders  
 arithmophobia: … numbers  
 asthenophobia: … fainting  
 astrophobia: … celestial space  
 ataxiophobia: … muscular   
 incoordination  
 ataxophobia: … untidiness  
 atelophobia: … imperfection  
 athazagoraphobia: … being forgotten or ignored  
 atychiphobia: … failure  
 aulophobia: … flutes  
 aurophobia: … gold  
 auroraphobia: … northern lights  
 automatonophobia: … ventriloquist dummies, wax statues  
 automysophobia: … being dirty  
 aviophobia: … flying 

**B**  
 bacillophobia: … microbes  
 ballistophobia: … missiles or bullets  
 barophobia: … gravity  
 basophobia: … inability to stand  
 bathophobia: … depth  
 batrachophobia: … amphibians  
 bibliophobia: … books  
 bogyphobia: … bogeymen  
 Bolshephobia: … Bolsheviks  
 bromidrosiphobia: … body smells  
 bufonophobia: … toads 

**C**  
 cacophobia: … ugliness  
 cainophobia: … newness, novelty  
 caligynephobia: … beautiful women  
 carcinophobia: … cancer  
 cardiophobia: … the heart  
 carnophobia: … meat  
 catagelophobia: … being ridiculed  
 catapedaphobia: … jumping  
 ceraunophobia: … thunder  
 chaetophobia: … hair  
 chemophobia: … chemicals  
 cherophobia: … gaiety  
 chionophobia: … snow  
 chiraptophobia: … being touched  
 cholerophobia: … anger  
 chorophobia: … dancing  
 chrometophobia: … money  
 chromophobia: … colors  
 chronomentrophobia: … clocks  
 cibophobia: … food  
 claustrophobia: … confined spaces  
 cleisiophobia: … being locked in  
 climacophobia: … stairs  
 clinophobia: … going to bed  
 coimetrophobia: … cemeteries  
 contreltophobia: … sexual abuse   
 coprastasophobia: … constipation  
 coprophobia: … feces  
 coulrophobia: … clowns  
 cremnophobia: … precipices  
 cryophobia: … extreme cold  
 crystallophobia: … crystals, glass  
 cyclophobia: … bicycles

**D**  
 decidophobia: … making decisions  
 defecaloesiophobia: … painful bowel movements  
 deipnophobia: … dining  
 dementophobia: … insanity  
 demonophobia: … demons  
 dendrophobia: … trees  
 dentophobia: … dentists  
 dermatophobia: … skin lesions   
 didaskaleinophobia: … school  
 dikephobia: … justice  
 dinophobia: … dizziness  
 diplophobia: … double vision  
 dipsophobia: … drinking  
 dishabiliophobia: … undressing   
 in front of someone  
 domatophobia: … houses  
 doraphobia: … animal fur or skins  
 dromophobia: … crossing streets  
 dysmorphophobia: … deformity  
 dystychiphobia: … accidents 

**E**  
 ecclesiophobia: … church  
 eisoptrophobia: … mirrors, or seeing oneself in a mirror  
 electrophobia: … electricity  
 eleutherophobia: … freedom   
 emetophobia: … vomiting  
 enetophobia: … pins  
 enochlophobia: … crowds  
 enosiophobia: … committing an unpardonable sin  
 entomophobia: … insects  
 eosophobia: … dawn or daylight  
 epistaxiophobia: … nosebleeds  
 epistemophobia: … knowledge  
 equinophobia: … horses  
 eremophobia: … being oneself  
 ereuthrophobia: … blushing  
 ergophobia: … work  
 erotophobia: … sexual love  
 euphobia: … hearing good news  
 eurotophobia: … female genitalia 

**F**  
 febriphobia: … fever  
 Francophobia: … France  
 frigophobia: … cold

**G**  
 gamophobia: … marriage  
 geliophobia: … laughter  
 geniophobia: … chins  
 genuphobia: … knees  
 gerascophobia: … growing old  
 glossophobia: … speaking in public gymnophobia: … nudity 

**H**  
 hadephobia: … hell  
 hagiophobia: …saints or holy things  
 harpaxophobia: … being robbed  
 hedonophobia: … feeling pleasure  
 heliophobia: … the sun  
 hemophobia: … blood  
 herpetophobia: … reptiles  
 heterophobia: … opposite sex  
 hodophobia: … road travel  
 homichlophobia: … fog  
 homilophobia: … sermons  
 homophobia: … homosexuality  
 hoplophobia: … firearms  
 hydrophobia: …. water  
 hypegiaphobia: … responsibility 

**I**  
 iatrophobia: … doctors  
 ichthyophobia: … fish  
 illyngophobia: … vertigo  
 insectophobia: … insects  
 iophobia: … poison  
 isolophobia: … solitude  
 ithyphallophobia: … erection 

**J**  
 Japanophobia: … Japanese  
 Judeophobia: … Jews

**K**  
 kainolophobia: … novelty  
 katagelophobia: … ridicule  
 kathisophobia: … sitting down  
 kenophobia: … empty spaces  
 kinetophobia : … motion  
 kleptophobia: … stealing  
 kopophobia: … fatigue  
 koniophobia: … dust  
 kyphophobia: … stooping 

**L**  
 lachanophobia: … vegetables  
 leprophobia : … leprosy  
 leukophobia: … the color white  
 ligyrophobia: … loud noises  
 limnophobia: … lakes  
 linonophobia: … string  
 liticaphobia: … lawsuits  
 lockiophobia: … childbirth  
 logophobia: … words  
 luiphobia: … syphilis  
 lutraphobia: … otters  
 lygophobia: … darkness 

**M**  
 mageirocophobia: … cooking  
 malaxophobia: … love play  
 mastigophobia: … punishment  
 mechanophobia: … machines  
 melophobia: … music  
 menophobia: … menstruation  
 merinthophobia: … being tied up  
 metathesiophobia: … changes  
 methyphobia: … alcohol  
 microphobia: … small things  
 misophobia: … dirt or germs  
 mnemophobia: … memories  
 motorphobia: … automobiles  
 musophobia: … mice  
 mycophobia: … mushrooms  
 myxophobia: … slime

**N**  
 necrophobia: … death  
 neopharmaphobia: … new drugs  
 neophobia: … anything new  
 nephophobia: … clouds  
 noctiphobia: … night  
 nomatophobia: … names  
 nosocomephobia: … hospitals  
 novercaphobia: …. stepmothers  
 numerophobia: … numbers 

**O**  
 ochophobia: … vehicles  
 odontophobia: … dental surgery  
 odynophobia: … pain  
 oenophobia: … wines  
 oikophobia: … home  
 olfactophobia: … smell  
 ombrophobia: … rain  
 ommetaphobia: … eyes  
 ophidiophobia: … snakes  
 ophthalmophobia: … being   
 stared at  
 ornithophobia: … birds  
 osphresiophobia: … smells  
 ostraconophobia: … shellfish  
 ouranophobia: … heaven 

**P**  
 pagophobia: … ice or frost  
 panthophobia: … disease  
 Papaphobia: … the Pope  
 papyrophobia: … paper  
 parasitophobia: … parasites  
 peccatophobia: … sinning  
 pediophobia: … dolls  
 pedophobia: … children  
 phalacrophobia: … becoming bald  
 pharmacophobia: … medicines  
 phasmophobia: … ghosts  
 philemaphobia: … kissing  
 philophobia: … falling in love  
 phobophobia: … phobias  
 phonophobia: … noises  
 phthisiophobia: … tuberculosis  
 placophobia: … tombstones  
 plutophobia: … wealth  
 pogonophobia: … beards  
 poinephobia: … punishment  
 proctophobia: … rectums  
 pteromerhanophobia: … flying  
 pupaphobia: … puppets  
 pyrophobia: … fire

**R**  
 radiophobia: … radiation, X rays  
 ranidaphobia: … frogs  
 rhabdophobia: … punishment  
 rhypophobia: … defecation  
 rhytiphobia: … getting wrinkles  
 rupophobia: … dirt  
 Russophobia: … Russians 

**S**  
 samhainophobia: … Halloween  
 sarmassophobia: … love play  
 satanophobia: …Satan  
 scabiophobia: … scabies  
 scelerophobia: … bad men, burglars  
 sciophobia: … shadows  
 scoleciphobia: … worms  
 scotomaphobia: … blindness  
 scriptophobia: … writing in public  
 selenophobia: … the moon  
 seplophobia: … decaying matter  
 siderodromophobia: … trains  
 siderophobia: … stars  
 sinistrophobia: … left-handedness  
 sphexsophobia: … wasps  
 staurophobia: … the crucifix  
 stenophobia: … narrow places  
 symbolophobia: … symbolism  
 symmetrophobia: … symmetry  
 syngenesophobia: … relatives  
 syphilophobia: … syphilis 

**T**  
 tachophobia: … speed  
 taphephobia: … being buried alive  
 tapinophobia: … being contagious  
 taurophobia: … bulls  
 technophobia: … technology  
 teleophobia: … definite plans  
 testophobia: … taking tests  
 thalassophobia: … the sea  
 thanatophobia: … death or dying  
 theatrophobia: … theaters  
 thermophobia: … heat  
 tocophobia: … childbirth  
 tonitrophobia: … thunder  
 toxiphobia: … poison  
 traumatophobia: … injury  
 tremophobia: … trembling  
 triskaidekaphobia: … the number 13  
 trypanophobia: … injections 

**U**  
 uranophobia: … heaven  
 urophobia: … urine

**V**  
 vaccinophobia: … vaccinations  
 venustraphobia: … beautiful women  
 verbophobia: … words  
 verminophobia: … germs  
 vestiphobia: … clothing  
 virginitiphobia: … rape  
 vitricophobia: … stepfathers 

**W**  
 Walloonophobia: … the Walloons  
 wiccaphobia: … witches 

**X**  
 xanthophobia: … the color yellow  
 xenophobia: … strangers  
 xerophobia: … dryness  
 xylophobia: … forests 

**Z**  
 zelophobia: … jealousy  
 zemmiphobia: … the great mole rat  
 zeusophobia: … God or gods  
 zoophobia: … animals 

 Source: <http://www.phobialist.com>  
 Compiled by Fredd Culbertson

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