Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hoplophobia

/ˌhɒpləˈfəʊbɪə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: ho-plo-pho-bia
IPA: /ˌhɒpləˈfəʊbɪə/

23

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The irrational fear of guns.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Gun control laws are proposed to control three basic areas: Crime, accidental shootings, and to calm those suffering from hoplophobia — these people generally align themselves with the first two so I won’t even consider that category."
"You'll be happy to learn that "hoplophobia" (irrational fear of weapons) has been recognized as an illness by the AMA, is treatable, and is now covered by most HMOs. Get thee to a psychiatrist!"
"2015: James Taranto, in "Best of the Web: The Left Loses Control," The Wall Street Journal That the [New York] Times's gun-control crusade is motivated by hoplophobia, rather than a sincere concern about crime and terrorism, can be demonstrated by a comparison with other Times editorials that do not focus on guns."

Etymology

Firearms authority and writer Colonel Jeff Cooper claims to have coined the word in 1962: hoplo- (“weapon, arms”) + -phobia (“fear”).

Word Breakdown

Prefix: hoplo-
Suffix: -phobia

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˌhɒpləˈfəʊbɪə/

Usage

Uncountable

Frequently Paired Words

hoplophobe hoplophobic

Questions

How do you pronounce hoplophobia?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhɒpləˈfəʊbɪə/.
What does hoplophobia mean?: The irrational fear of guns.
Where does hoplophobia come from?: Firearms authority and writer Colonel Jeff Cooper claims to have coined the word in 1962: hoplo- (“weapon, arms”) + -phobia (“fear”).

How to pronounce hoplophobia

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hoplophobia”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌhɒpləˈfəʊbɪə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hoplophobia”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hoplophobia” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.