Meanings
- uncountableThe fear of thunder and lightning; keraunophobia.
[…], I blame the iron for fueling my brontophobia or keraunophobia or astraphobia or tonitrophobia, whichever it is really called.
2011, Margaret Roach, And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road, New York, NY: Grand Central Pub, →ISBN, page 942 more examples
The doctor who examined her had explained that tonitrophobia—fear of thunder—could, in extreme cases, cause seizures and, though extremely rare, could result in death.
2008, Billie Letts, Made in the U.S.A., New York, NY: Grand Central Pub, →ISBN, page 271Fear of thunder is known as brontophobia or as I like to put it, "I just feel safer hiding under my bed!" Astraphobia, brontophobia, keraunophobia, and tonitrophobia—all are abnormal fears of lightning and thunder.
2012, Bill Evans, It's Raining Fish and Spiders, New York, NY: Forge, →ISBN, page 168
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From Latin tonitr(us) (“thunder”) + -o- + -phobia.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tonitrophobia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonitrophobia
“tonitrophobia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonitrophobia. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tonitrophobia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tonitrophobia.
Source: tonitrophobia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.