25 of the Weirdest Phobias

Phobia – from the Greek phobos, meaning fear.

Many of us, probably most of us, have phobias. I have spheksophobia, the fear of wasps. I am sure I have several more as well. There are hundreds of phobias. Some are common and well known. Others appear to have simply been made up and are more sensationalist phobias, but I am sure at least someone somewhere suffers from each of these phobias.

This is not anywhere near a complete list, but these phobias are certainly unusual:

Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinionsAnablephobia- Fear of looking upAsymmetriphobia- Fear of asymmetrical thingsCathisophobia- Fear of sittingChirophobia- Fear of handsConsecotaleophobia- Fear of chopsticksDikephobia- Fear of justiceEpistemophobia- Fear of knowledgeGenuphobia- Fear of kneesKoinoniphobia- Fear of roomsLeukophobia- Fear of the color whiteLevophobia- Fear of things to the left side of the bodyMelophobia- Fear or hatred of musicNomatophobia- Fear of namesOmphalophobia- Fear of belly buttonsOptophobia- Fear of opening one’s eyesPanophobia or Pantophobia- Fear of everythingPhilosophobia- Fear of philosophyPhronemophobia- Fear of thinkingPteronophobia- Fear of being tickled by feathersSitophobia or Sitiophobia- Fear of food or eatingTheatrophobia- Fear of theatresVerbophobia- Fear of wordsXylophobia- 1) Fear of wooden objects. 2) ForestsZemmiphobia- Fear of the great mole rat

 

Phobia implies an irrational fear. There are some things that most of us are afraid of to some extent:

Antlophobia- Fear of floodsAtomosophobia- Fear of atomic explosionsAviophobia or Aviatophobia- Fear of flyingCancerophobia or Carcinophobia- Fear of cancerEnochlophobia- Fear of crowdsEremophobia- Fear of being oneself or of lonelinessFelinophobia- Fear of catsGelotophobia- Fear of being laughed atGerascophobia- Fear of growing oldHerpetophobia- Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly thingsHoplophobia- Fear of firearmsLilapsophobia- Fear of tornadoes and hurricanesNosocomephobia- Fear of hospitalsOphidiophobia- Fear of snakesSocial Phobia- Fear of being evaluated negatively in social situationsSpectrophobia- Fear of specters or ghosts