haphephobia

H4A1P3H4E1P3H4O1B3I1A1
/ˌhæfɪˈfəʊbiə/

noun

The fear of being touched.

OriginAncient Greek ἁφή →
Scrabble 26
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Meanings

nounhaphephobia (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe fear of being touched.

    My hair stood on end all over my body and my haphephobia, the fear of being touched, kicked into full gear.

    2013, Leesia Lindsay, “Paranormal Encounters”, in From Every Corner, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 10
    2 more examples

    It is necessary to distinguish haphephobia from the syndrome described under the name of délire de toucher, the emotional disturbance produced especially after contact.

    1894, Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences, volume 2, unnumbered page

    […] He realizes that his goal is a loving relationship with you. It's that simple, and that's what we're working on now. Of course there are obstacles—his haphephobia, for one." His what? I gasp. “I'm sorry. I mean his fear of being touched," Dr. Flynn says, shaking his head as if scolding himself. […]

    2011, E. L. James, Fifty Shades Darker, Vintage Books, published 2012, →ISBN, page 412

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
aphenphosmphobiahaptephobiathixophobia

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἁφή“touch”
  2. Englishhaphephobia

From Ancient Greek ἁφή (haphḗ, “touch”) from ἅπτω (háptō, “I touch”) + -phobia.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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