What Are You Afraid Of?

In case you've ever wondered what phobias you possess, here's a list that proves there's probably a word for just about everything. This blog has to admit that pentheraphobia is, indeed, a very real thing. And Doctor J is proud of his gamophobia.

13, number- Triskadekaphobia

8, number- Octophobia

Airborne noxious substances- Aerophobia

Airsickness- Aeronausiphobia

Alcohol- Methyphobia or Potophobia (Definitely not a fear of Dr J's.)

Alone, being- Autophobia or Monophobia

Alone, being or solitude- Isolophobia

Amnesia- Amnesiphobia (This blog bets you'll forget this one.)

Animals- Zoophobia

Animals, skins of or fur- Doraphobia

Animals, wild- Agrizoophobia

Ants- Myrmecophobia

Anything new- Neophobia (A particular fear of television producers.)

Asymmetrical things- Asymmetriphobia

Atomic Explosions- Atomosophobia

Automobile, being in a moving- Ochophobia

Automobiles- Motorphobia

Bald people- Peladophobia (Poor Colin Mochrie!)

Bald, becoming- Phalacrophobia

Bathing- Ablutophobia

Beards- Pogonophobia (Boo!)

Beautiful women- Caligynephobia (We're all afraid of beautiful women because we all know they're insane. As Chief Wiggum asks, 'why are the beautiful ones always crazy?')

Books- Bibliophobia (Hello my students.)

Buried alive, being or cemeteries- Taphephobia or Taphophobia

Cats- Aclurophobia, Ailurophobia, Elurophobia, Felinophobia, Galeophobia, or Gatophobia

Chickens- Alektorophobia

Clowns- Coulrophobia

Constipation- Coprastasophobia (Would this be a binding fear?)

Contamination, dirt or infection- Molysmophobia or Molysomophobia

Contamination with dirt or germs- Misophobia or Mysophobia

Cooking- Mageirocophobia (Sometimes called laziness.)

Corpses- Necrophobia ('Stiff with fear...')

Crowded public places like markets- Agoraphobia

Crowds or mobs- Enochlophobia, Demophobia or Ochlophobia

Crucifix, the or crosses- Staurophobia (Especially prominent at Easter.)

Dark or night- Nyctophobia

Dark place, being in- Lygophobia

Darkness- Achluophobia or Myctophobia, or Scotophobia

Dawn or daylight- Eosophobia

Daylight or sunshine- Phengophobia

Death or dying- Thanatophobia

Death or dead things- Necrophobia

Decaying matter- Seplophobia

Decisions: making decisions- Decidophobia (Ahem.)

Erect penis- Medorthophobia (Ahem, again.)

Erection, losing an- Medomalacuphobia (Viagraphobia?)

Friday the 13th- Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Genitals, particularly female- Kolpophobia (Gynephobia? Vaginaphobia?)

Genitalia, female- Eurotophobia

Insects- Acarophobia or Entomophobia or Insectophobia

Insects that eat wood- Isopterophobia (See medomalacuphobia above.)

Insects that cause itching- Acarophobia

Itching- Acarophobia

Kissing- Philemaphobia or Philematophobia

Knees- Genuphobia

Knowledge- Gnosiophobia or Epistemophobia (Ahem, mes enfants.)

Laughter- Geliophobia

Lawsuits- Liticaphobia (This is just common sense.)

Learning- Sophophobia

Left-handed; objects at the left side of the body- Sinistrophobia

Marriage- Gamophobia (This, too, is just common sense. Also known as 'eternalcondemnatiophobia').

Men- Androphobia or Arrhenphobia or Hominophobia

Menstruation- Menophobia (Ahem, yet again.)

Mice- Musophobia, Murophobia or Suriphobia

Mother-in-law- Pentheraphobia (Also known as manipulamaternaphobia.)

Night or dark- Nyctophobia

Night- Noctiphobia

Opinions, expressing- Doxophobia (Also known as politiphobia.)

Otters- Lutraphobia (How Canadian.)

Phobias- Phobophobia (But of course...Duh.)

Poetry- Metrophobia (A common fear among academics. The result is a propensity toward elaborate theorizing.)

Puppets- Pupaphobia

Sin- Hamartophobia

Snakes- Ophidiophobia or Snakephobia

Snow- Chionophobia

Stared at, being- Ophthalmophobia (What are you looking at?)

Thinking- Phronemophobia (Huh?)

Thunder- Ceraunophobia

Thunder and lightning- Astraphobia, Astrapophobia, Brontophobia or Keraunophobia

Tickled by feathers or feathers- Pteronophobia

Ugliness- Cacophobia (*cough, cough*)

Undressing in front of someone- Dishabillophobia

Urine or urinating- Urophobia

Waits, long- Macrophobia (Growlaphobia: fear of Tom Waits.)

Witches and Witchcraft- Wiccaphobia

Words, long- Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia or Sesquipedalophobia (Figures, eh?)

Now can you talk about your betes noires with authority! :-)