Meanings
- uncountableA morbid fear of being touched.
"What have you been treating Maureen for?" "Aphenphosmphobia. She is...she was scared of having her throat touched."
2005, Christine Spindler, Faces of Fear, an Inspector Terry Mystery, Hard Shell Word Factory, page 651 more example
Since the stabbing she had struggled most with aphenphosmphobia, a morbid fear of physical contact with other human beings.
2011, Craig Russell, The Carnival Master, page 107Synonyms: haphephobia
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA morbid fear of being touched.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἁφή“touch”
- Englishaphenphosmphobia
Unknown element(s) + -phobia. The initial aphe- element is likely based on Ancient Greek ἁφή (haphḗ, “touch”), the same root as haphephobia. There is no Greek root φοσμ- (phosm-) or φωσμ- (phōsm-), and φῶς (phôs, “light”) can be eliminated on semantic grounds, so the middle element is probably a fanciful invention or error.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
aphenphosmphobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aphenphosmphobia
“aphenphosmphobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aphenphosmphobia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “aphenphosmphobia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/aphenphosmphobia.
Source: aphenphosmphobia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.