scotophobia

S1C3O1T1O1P3H4O1B3I1A1

noun

Fear of darkness.

Scrabble 20

Meanings

scotophobia1

nounscotophobia (uncountable)
  1. uncountableFear of darkness.

    He also suffered from hypsophobia, a certain fear of elevated places, and the typical scotophobia and phasmophobia associated with churches, graveyards and solitary places in the dark of night.

    2008, E a Bucchianeri, Faust: My Soul Be Damned for the World, volume 2, page 55

    Synonyms: achluophobia, nyctophobia

Scotophobia2

nounScotophobia (uncountable)

alternative Scottophobia

  1. uncountableFear or hatred of Scotland.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounFear of darkness.

Origin

scotophobia · noun

  1. Englishscoto-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰógʷos
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰógʷos
  4. Ancient Greekφόβος (phóbos)
  5. Englishscotophobia

From scoto- + -phobia.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish pimeänpelko, skotofobia
  • pimeänpelkofear of darkness
  • skotofobiafear of darkness
  • nyktofobiafear of darkness
German Skotophobie
  • Skotophobiefear of darkness
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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