blennophobia

B3L1E1N1N1O1P3H4O1B3I1A1

noun

The irrational fear of slime.

Scrabble 21

Meanings

nounblennophobia (uncountable)
  1. rareuncountableThe irrational fear of slime.

    "Well, maybe what you've really got is blennophobia — fear of slime," he said.

    2002, Kate White, If Looks Could Kill, Warner Books, Inc., →ISBN
    2 more examples

    He approaches with snurffly sounds and a twitching nose, and your blennophobia (fear of slime) kicks in, producing a hurried word of encouragement and a carrot.

    2003, Joanne M. Friedman, It's a Horse's Life!: Advice and Observations for the Humans Who Choose to Share It, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 40

    Oh, they seem to be the picture of contentment, tripping about with their triple-sanitized trowels and weeding forks, but in reality these neatniks are a seething cauldron of aversions. They're beset by blennophobia, the fear of slime, and spend long hours plotting the annihilation of slugs and snails.

    2006, Des Kennedy, The Passionate Gardener: Adventures of an Ardent Green Thumb, Greystone Books, →ISBN, page 208

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekφόβος“fear”
  2. Ancient Greekβλέννος
  3. Englishblennophobia

From Ancient Greek βλέννος (blénnos, alternative form of βλέννα "mucus, slime") + -phobia, from Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, “fear”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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