phobia
phobia — 名詞
- phobiasingular
- phobiasplural
1. a mental health condition in which a person experiences extreme, unreasonable fe
恐懼症
對特定事物極度不合理的害怕，屬焦慮症
a mental health condition in which a person experiences extreme, unreasonable fear of a specific object, activity, or situation, to a degree that interferes with their normal daily life
Lukas has a phobia about needles and nearly faints every time he needs a blood test.
Lukas 有針頭恐懼症，每次抽血時都幾乎要昏過去。
phobia about + noun for specific trigger
Her phobia of flying was so severe that she refused to board the plane to Tokyo.
她對飛行的恐懼症非常嚴重，因此拒絕登上飛往東京的班機。
phobia of + gerund/noun for target of fear
Cognitive behavioural therapy helped Kenji manage his social phobia and speak in public.
認知行為療法幫助 Kenji 克服了他的社交恐懼症，讓他能夠公開演講。
A phobia can cause a racing heart and shortness of breath when the person faces the feared situation.
恐懼症可能在患者面對害怕的情境時，引發心跳加速和呼吸急促。
Diya finally saw a doctor about her phobia of spiders after the panic attacks became more frequent.
在恐慌發作越來越頻繁之後，Diya 終於為了她的蜘蛛恐懼症去看醫生。
- anxiety disorder
a broader medical category that includes phobias but also generalised anxiety
- irrational fear
describes the feeling without the clinical diagnosis
文法句型
phobia + of + noun/gerund
have a phobia about + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Frequently used with a prepositional phrase starting with 'of' or 'about' to specify the target of the fear. As a medical term, it implies a diagnosed condition that disrupts daily functioning, not simply strong fear.
常見錯誤
2. an everyday term for a very strong feeling of hatred or intense dislike toward a
強烈厭惡
對某事物的極度反感或不合理的排斥
an everyday term for a very strong feeling of hatred or intense dislike toward a particular thing, used when the feeling is not based on reason and does not amount to a diagnosed medical condition
Theo has a real phobia about eating anything that was cooked more than a day ago.
Theo 對超過一天前煮好的食物有強烈的厭惡感。
informal use: 'a real phobia about' for strong everyday dislike
Yara admitted she had a phobia of crowded subway trains during rush hour.
Yara 承認她對尖峰時刻擁擠的地鐵列車有強烈的排斥。
My uncle has a phobia about throwing away old newspapers and magazines.
我叔叔對於丟掉舊報紙和雜誌有種莫名的排斥。
A phobia of messy desks kept Tamar cleaning her workspace five times a day.
Tamar 對凌亂桌面的極度厭惡，讓她每天清理工作區五次。
文法句型
phobia + about + noun
have a phobia + of + noun
用法筆記
In casual speech, 'phobia' is often used to describe a strong dislike or irritation rather than a clinical anxiety disorder. Distinguish from sense 1 by context — if the reaction does not involve panic or disrupted daily life, sense 2 is likely intended.
常見錯誤
phobia — 字尾
1. used at the end of a word to name a medically recognised type of anxiety disorde
…恐懼
構成焦慮症疾病名稱的後綴
used at the end of a word to name a medically recognised type of anxiety disorder in which a person has an extreme, irrational fear of a specific trigger
Agoraphobia makes people frightened of open spaces or crowded public places.
廣場恐懼症會讓患者害怕空曠空間或擁擠的公共場所。
suffix -phobia forming clinical term: agoraphobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of being in small, enclosed spaces like lifts or windowless rooms.
幽閉恐懼症是指害怕處於狹小封閉空間，例如電梯或沒有窗戶的房間。
Lucas was diagnosed with acrophobia after he could not climb the stairs to his fifth-floor flat.
Lucas 被診斷出有高處恐懼症，因為他連爬到五樓的公寓都做不到。
Arachnophobia is one of the most common specific phobias, affecting about one in three women.
蜘蛛恐懼症是最常見的特定恐懼症之一，大約每三位女性就有一位受影響。
The hospital offers free treatment for social phobia through group therapy sessions.
該醫院透過團體治療課程，免費為社交恐懼症患者提供治療。
- anxiety disorder
broader category that includes multiple phobias
文法句型
[trigger word] + -phobia
用法筆記
Words formed with this suffix are normally uncountable nouns. The trigger word at the beginning of the compound comes from Greek or Latin roots (e.g., 'claustro-' meaning 'enclosed space').
常見錯誤
2. used at the end of a word to describe a strong, often unreasonable fear or hatre
…厭惡
構成強烈厭惡或不合理排斥的後綴
used at the end of a word to describe a strong, often unreasonable fear or hatred of a particular thing, type of person, or situation, without implying a clinical diagnosis
Xenophobia refers to a strong fear or hatred of people from other countries.
排外症指的是對來自其他國家的人表現出強烈的恐懼或憎恨。
non-clinical suffix: xenophobia as social prejudice
The rise of technophobia worries educators who want older adults to use digital tools.
科技恐懼症的興起令教育工作者感到憂心，因為他們希望年長者也能使用數位工具。
Homophobia remains a serious problem in many schools and workplaces around the world.
對同性戀的恐懼與厭惡在世界各地的許多學校和職場仍是一個嚴重的問題。
Beatriz joked that her commitment-phobia was the reason she had never kept a plant alive.
Beatriz 開玩笑說，她的承諾恐懼症正是她從未養活過任何植物的原因。
- philia
the opposite suffix meaning 'love of' (e.g., bibliophilia)
文法句型
[target word] + -phobia
用法筆記
This suffix appears in many social and political terms (xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia) where it describes prejudice or systemic discrimination rather than a medical fear. The playful suffix -phobia (e.g., 'commitment-phobia') is informal and often humorous.
常見錯誤
phobia — noun_combining_form
1. a combining form used to build nouns that mean an extreme and unreasonable fear
過度恐懼
構成對某事物過度恐懼名詞的構詞成分
a combining form used to build nouns that mean an extreme and unreasonable fear of something, especially in medical or technical descriptions of specific phobias
The dentist tried to help Jude manage his odontophobia before the root canal procedure.
牙醫試著幫助 Jude 在根管治療前克服他對牙科的過度恐懼。
combining form: odontophobia = fear of dentists
Nyctophobia, or fear of the dark, is common among young children but usually fades with age.
暗黑恐懼症，也就是對黑暗的害怕，在幼兒中很常見，但通常會隨年齡增長而消退。
Indra's aquaphobia made swimming lessons a terrifying experience every single week.
Indra 的恐水症讓每週的游泳課都變成極度可怕的經歷。
Thanatophobia, the fear of death, can become overwhelming for elderly patients in hospice care.
死亡恐懼症，也就是對死亡的害怕，對於安寧病房的老年患者來說可能變得難以承受。
文法句型
[prefix]phobia
用法筆記
The first part of the compound is typically a Greek or Latin root naming the feared object (e.g., 'nycto-' = night, 'odonto-' = tooth, 'aqua-' = water). This combining form behaves as the head of compound nouns.
2. a combining form used to build nouns that describe a strong inability to tolerat
嫌惡
構成對某事物無法容忍的構詞成分
a combining form used to build nouns that describe a strong inability to tolerate something or a deep aversion to it, extending beyond fear to include dislike and rejection
Hydrophobia is an old term for rabies, describing the animal's inability to swallow water.
恐水症是狂犬病的舊稱，描述患者無法吞嚥水的症狀。
combining form: hydrophobia = medical intolerance, not fear
Photophobia makes bright sunlight painfully uncomfortable for people with certain eye conditions.
畏光症會使明亮的陽光對某些眼部疾病患者造成極不舒服的感覺。
Cibophobia made it impossible for Sirin to tolerate any solid food after her chemotherapy sessions.
Sirin 在化療後出現恐食症，完全無法忍受任何固體食物。
Lakan's phonophobia meant he could not tolerate the sound of chewing or loud breathing.
Lakan 的聲音恐懼症讓他無法忍受咀嚼聲或大聲呼吸的聲音。
- aversion
milder and more general; less clinical than -phobia combining forms
- intolerance
focuses on inability to endure rather than emotional fear
- tolerance
opposite of intolerance; the ability to endure without reaction
文法句型
[prefix]phobia
用法筆記
This combining form is sometimes used in non-psychological contexts (e.g., hydrophobia for rabies, photophobia for light sensitivity) where the meaning is closer to 'intolerance' or 'aversion' than 'fear.'