trypophobia
/ˌtɹɪpəˈfoʊbi.ə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.77 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An irrational or obsessive fear of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes, such as those found in honeycombs.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Images of lotus seed heads are often reported as inducing trypophobia. Sufferers of trypophobia report that it is the visual percept that is particularly aversive."
- "2015, Irena Milosevic, Trypophobia (Fear of Holes), Irena Milosevic, Randi E. McCabe (editors), Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear, ABC-CLIO (Greenwood), page 401, In particular, individuals with trypophobia are fearful of clusters of holes that are found in a variety of objects and matter such as skin, coral, honeycombs, seed pods, and even aerated chocolate."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek τρῦπα (trûpa, “hole”), compare Ancient Greek τρυπάω (trupáō, “bore”), + -phobia (from Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, “fear, phobia”)), said to have been coined by a blogger from Ireland in 2005.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌtɹɪpəˈfoʊbi.ə/
- British English: /ˌtɹɪpəˈfəʊbi.ə/