anthropophobia
|an-thro-po-pho-bi-a|
🇺🇸
/ˌænθrəpəˈfoʊbiə/
🇬🇧
/ˌænθrəpəˈfəʊbiə/
fear of people
Etymology
'anthropophobia' originates from Modern English coinage, formed from Greek elements 'anthrōpos' meaning 'human' and 'phobia' from 'phobos' meaning 'fear'.
'anthropophobia' is built from Greek roots: Greek 'ἄνθρωπος' ('anthrōpos', "human") + 'φόβος' ('phóbos', "fear"); the composite form entered English via Neo-Latin/Modern formation practices rather than through a direct single historical intermediary.
Initially formed to mean 'fear of humans' and over time has retained that core meaning, now used in medical, psychological, and general contexts to denote an extreme fear of people or social situations.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an excessive, irrational, or pathological fear of people or of human company; fear of social situations or of people in general.
Because of his anthropophobia, he avoids parties and crowded streets.
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Noun 2
(clinical/usage note) Sometimes used interchangeably with social phobia, though anthropophobia more strictly denotes fear of people as such rather than fear of specific social performance situations.
Clinicians distinguish anthropophobia from performance-related social anxiety when the fear is directed at people generally rather than specific scenarios.
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Last updated: 2025/08/26 17:21