'homophobic' originates from Greek and modern English, specifically from the combining form 'homo-' (from Greek 'homos') meaning 'same' and 'phobic' from Greek 'phobos' meaning 'fear'.

'homophobic' changed from the noun 'homophobia', a term coined in English in the late 1960s (often credited to psychologist George Weinberg in 1969) formed from 'homo-' + 'phobia', and the adjective 'homophobic' was subsequently formed from that noun.

Initially, it meant 'fear of homosexual people', but over time it evolved into its current broader meaning of 'prejudice, hostility, or discriminatory attitudes and actions toward homosexual people'.