pittakionophobia

noun

The abnormal and irrational fear of stickers, sticky labels and (sometimes, also) adhesive materials such as glue.

OriginAncient Greek πιττάκιον ← Latin pittacium →
Scrabble 29
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Meanings

nounpittakionophobia (uncountable)
  1. neologismuncountableThe abnormal and irrational fear of stickers, sticky labels and (sometimes, also) adhesive materials such as glue.

    I have a phobia called Pittakionophobia.^([sic])

    2017 September 19, “Quickfire questions with Sarah Tierney (Mayo ladies footballer)”, in MayoLive, archived from the original on 11 Feb 2026
    3 more examples

    Among the most common phobias are those termed specific phobias—irrational fears of particular objects or situations. […] The person has had an experience that has sensitized them to respond to a specific stimulus in a fearful way. Simple phobias include such things as fear of spiders (arachnophobia), fear of the dentist (odontophobia), fear of stickers (pittakionophobia) and so on. (Pittakionophobia is a neologism, or new name, that I coined in 2009 [there being no suitable name in existence] for the fear of stickers, something I have successfully treated many times.)

    2014, Peter Field, Chi of Change: How Hypnotherapy Can Help You Heal and Turn Your Life Around - Regardless of Your Past, Collective Ink, →ISBN, unnumbered page

    Almost anything can trigger a phobia including: peanut butter sticking to the top of your mouth (arachibutyrophobia); being without a mobile phone (nomophobia); stickers (pittakionophobia); and thunder and lightning (tonitrophobia, among several other names). However, for people with these conditions, the phobia is no joke.

    2015, Mark Greener, Depression and Anxiety: The Drug-Free Way, Sheldon Press, →ISBN, page 24

    While Anna, a disability campaigner and burlesque dancer, hasn't sought treatment for her sticker phobia, she did find some comfort in her recent discovery that is, surprisingly, a known phobia with its own name - pittakionophobia.

    2023 October 6, Emma Guinness, “'I have a crippling fear of stickers ... yes, it's a real thing'”, in KidSpot, News Corp Australia, archived from the original on 11 Feb 2026

Origin

  1. Latinpittacium
  2. Ancient Greekπιττάκιον“*sticker”
  3. Englishpittakionophobia

Coined by hypnotherapist Peter Field in 2009. Field gives the word's formation as Ancient Greek πιττάκιον (pittákion, “*sticker”) + -o- + -phobia (used to form nouns meaning the fear of a specific thing), as a neoclassical compound. In reality, this Ancient Greek word does not mean sticker, but Latin pittacium does mean label.

More words from Ancient Greek, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pittakionophobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pittakionophobia

MLA

“pittakionophobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pittakionophobia. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pittakionophobia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pittakionophobia.

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