Meanings
- humorousuncountableThe fear that one is being constantly watched by a duck.
My regards to the ducks who watched me as I worked and gently encouraged me to stay on track. Even mild anatidaephobia has its uses.
2010, Amber K, True Magick: A Beginner's Guide, Llewellyn Publications, →ISBN, page 92 more examples
Worse than that, Thomas himself suffered from anatidaephobia, the fear that you were being watched by a duck. As a youth, every time those Aflac commercials came on, Thomas had to retreat to his room in anguish.
2013, Montgomery Trevour Halle-Bouern, Objects in the Mirror Aka Vulture Culture, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 16For example, Aflac, the insurance company, posted an ad featuring their duck mascot on the same page as an article about anatidaephobia—the fear that you are being watched by a duck (Figure 1.2).
2014, Ahava Leibtag, The Digital Crown: Winning at Content on the Web, Morgan Kaufmann, →ISBN
Origin
From Anatidae + -phobia. Coined by Gary Larson in 1988 in a Far Side comic.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
anatidaephobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anatidaephobia
“anatidaephobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anatidaephobia. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anatidaephobia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anatidaephobia.
Source: anatidaephobia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.