Meanings
- uncountableAn irrational fear of chemicals
By chemophobia I mean an exaggerated fear of toxicity brought about by the widespread use of chemicals in food production and processing.
1962, John Clifton Ayres, Chemical and Biological Hazards in Food1 more example
Chemophobia also means that every six months there is a "new scientific finding" about a synthetic chemical found in regular food in very low quantites that, if you ate a cargo ship or two of it every day for three years, could kill you.
2018, Hans Rosling, Factfulness, page 118
Origin
Cite this entry
chemophobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemophobia
“chemophobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemophobia. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chemophobia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chemophobia.
Source: chemophobia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.