ataxophobia

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noun

Abnormal fear or dislike of messiness, often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Scrabble 25

Meanings

nounataxophobia (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAbnormal fear or dislike of messiness, often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    Yes, I have to, I have ataxophobia.

    2006, Jeanne Evans, Short Case Files, →ISBN, page 105
    4 more examples

    "...You saw how he acted this morning. He's nervous and irritable and he dreads any noise or confusion — " "Ataxophobia," Tom murmured.

    1975, A. l. furman, Dog Stories More, →ISBN, page 36

    I'm working, however, on instilling a case of venustraphobia (fear of beautiful women—another use for Vicks) in my partner, and my daughter could use a little ataxophobia (fear of disorder or untidiness).

    2003, Joanne Friedman, It's a Horse's Life!, →ISBN

    While Victoria acknowledges that he is more talented, better looking, and more stylish than her, it seems that his calm appearance is something of an illusion as well. He recently admitted that he suffers from ataxophobia (fear of disorder) to the point where he feels compelled to throw out drink cans in the refrigerator if there is an uneven number.

    2007, Andrew Morton, Posh & Becks, →ISBN, page 20

    Stories about international soccer star David Beckham's fear of disorder, or ataxophobia, have often found their way into the media. Beckham has organized his closets so that each shirt hangs according to its color.

    2009, Hal Marcovitz, Phobias, page 14

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

ataxophobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ataxophobia

MLA

“ataxophobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ataxophobia. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ataxophobia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ataxophobia.

Source: ataxophobia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.