autophobia
|au-to-pho-bi-a|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtəˈfoʊbiə/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəˈfəʊbiə/
fear of being alone or of oneself
Etymology
'autophobia' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'autos' and 'phobos', where 'autos' meant 'self' and 'phobos' meant 'fear'.
'autophobia' was formed in modern medical/psychiatric usage from these Greek elements and entered English as a technical term in the 19th–20th century.
Initially formed to mean 'fear of oneself' (from 'autos' + 'phobos'), the term has also come to be used to mean 'fear of being alone' and is often used interchangeably with 'monophobia'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an intense fear of being alone or isolated; sometimes used to refer to a fear of oneself.
Autophobia can cause severe anxiety when someone is left alone or imagines being isolated.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/27 17:24