A comprehensive list of phobias and their meanings. Identify your type of phobia

Some days ago, I posted the meanings of "Pentheraphobia"(the fear of one's mother-in-law) and "Gamophobia" (the fear of getting married, being in a relationship, or commitment) on my Facebook wall, and most of my Facebook friends were overwhelmed with different emotions when they saw the meanings of those words. Well, such reactions were expected because those words actually revealed the everyday experiences of most persons in this part of the world. Of course, you would definitely be pentheraphobic if you had a mother-in-law like Susana (Patience Ozokwor) in Nollywood movies. Lol! And with the way our "Small girls with big gods" behave, most guys are already gamophobic. Hahahaha!

Anyway, here is a list of different types of phobias and their meanings. In order for your case to be critically examined, you are expected to state your type of phobia using the comment box after going through this list.(Just kidding!) But before you proceed, take a look at the definition of phobia.

Phobia is a psychological term for "a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it" (Dictionary.com). Simply put, phobia is an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something.

PHOBIAS: TYPES AND MEANINGS

A

• Achluophobia – Fear of darkness.
• Acrophobia – Fear of heights.
• Aerophobia – Fear of flying.
• Algophobia – Fear of pain.
• Agoraphobia – Fear of open spaces or crowds.
• Aichmophobia – Fear of needles or pointed objects.
• Amaxophobia – Fear of riding in a car.
• Androphobia – Fear of men.
• Anginophobia – Fear of angina or choking.
• Anglophobia – Fear of England or English culture.
• Anthrophobia – Fear of flowers.
• Anthropophobia – Fear of people or society.
• Anuptaphobia – Fear of staying single.
• Aphenphosmphobia – Fear of being touched.
• Arachnophobia – Fear of spiders.
• Arithmophobia – Fear of numbers.
• Astraphobia – Fear of thunder and lightening.
• Ataxophobia – Fear of disorder or untidiness.
• Atelophobia – Fear of imperfection.
• Atychiphobia – Fear of failure.
• Autophobia – Fear of being alone.

B

• Bacteriophobia – Fear of bacteria.
• Barophobia – Fear of gravity.
• Bathmophobia – Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
• Batrachophobia – Fear of amphibians.
• Belonephobia – Fear of pins and needles.
• Bibliophobia – Fear of books.
• Botanophobia – Fear of plants.

C

• Cacophobia – Fear of ugliness.
• Catagelophobia – Fear of being ridiculed.
• Catoptrophobia – Fear of mirrors.
• Chionophobia – Fear of snow.
• Chromophobia – Fear of colors.
• Chronomentrophobia – Fear of clocks.
• Claustrophobia – Fear of confined spaces.
• Cleptophobia – Fear of stealing.
• Climacophobia – Fear of stairs, climbing, or of falling downstairs.
• Coulrophobia – Fear of clowns.
• Cyberphobia – Fear of computers.
• Cynophobia – Fear of dogs.

D

• Dendrophobia – Fear of trees.
• Dentophobia – Fear of dentists.
• Domatophobia – Fear of houses.
• Dystychiphobia – Fear of accidents.

E

• Ecophobia – Fear of the home.
• Elurophobia – Fear of cats.
• Entomophobia – Fear of insects.
• Ephebiphobia – Fear of teenagers.
• Equinophobia – Fear of horses.

G

• Gamophobia – Fear of marriage, being in a relationship, or commitment.
• Genuphobia – Fear of knees.
• Glossophobia – Fear of speaking in public.
• Gynophobia – Fear of women.

H

• Heliophobia – Fear of the sun.
• Hemophobia – Fear of blood.
• Herpetophobia – Fear of reptiles.
• Hydrophobia – Fear of water.
• Hypochonria – Fear of illness.

I

• Iatrophobia – Fear of doctors.
• Insectophobia – Fear of insects.

K

• Koinoniphobia – Fear of rooms.

L

• Leukophobia – Fear of the color white.
• Lilapsophobia – Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
• Lockiophobia – Fear of childbirth.

M

• Mageirocophobia – Fear of cooking.
• Megalophobia – Fear of large things.
• Melanophobia – Fear of the color black.
• Microphobia – Fear of small things.
• Mysophobia – Fear of dirt and germs.

N

• Necrophobia – Fear of death or dead things.
• Noctiphobia – Fear of the night.
• Nosocomephobia – Fear of hospitals.
• Nyctophobia – Fear of the dark.

O

• Obesophobia – Fear of gaining weight.
• Octophobia – Fear of figure 8.
• Ombrophobia – Fear of rain.
• Ophidiophobi – Fear of snakes.
• Ornithophobia – Fear of birds.

P

• Papyrophobia – Fear of paper.
• Pathophobia – Fear of disease.
• Pedophobia – Fear of children.
• Pentheraphobia – Fear of one's mother-in-law.
• Pharmacophobia- Fear of drugs.
• Philophobia – Fear of falling or being love.
• Phobophobia – Fear of phobias.
• Pocrescophobia- Fear of gaining weight. 
• Podophobia – Fear of feet.
• Porphyrophobia – Fear of the color purple.
• Pteridophobia – Fear of ferns.
• Pteromerhanophobia – Fear of flying.
• Pyrophobia – Fear of fire.

R

• Ranidaphobia – Fear of frogs.

S

• Samhainophobia – Fear of Halloween.
• Satanophobia – Fear of Satan.
• Scelerophibia – Fear of bad men, burglars.
• Scolionophobia – Fear of school.
• Selenophobia – Fear of the moon.
• Sexophobia – Fear of the opposite sex. 
• Sociophobia – Fear of social evaluation.
• Somniphobia – Fear of sleep.
• Syngenesophobia – Fear of relatives.

T

• Tachophobia – Fear of speed.
• Technophobia – Fear of technology.
• Tocophobia- Fear of pregnancy or childbirth.
• Tonitrophobia – Fear of thunder.
• Trypanophobia – Fear of needles/injections.

V-Z

• Venustraphobia – Fear of beautiful women.
• Verminophobia – Fear of germs.
• Virginitiphobia- Fear of rape.
• Vitricophobia- Fear of step-father.
• Wiccaphobia – Fear of witches and witchcraft.
• Xenophobia – Fear of strangers or foreigners.
• Xyrophobia-Fear of razors. 
• Zelophobia- Fear of jealousy.
• Zeusophobia- Fear of God or gods.
• Zoophobia – Fear of animals.

There are more, but these are just a few we can relate with.