waterfright

W4A1T1E1R1F4R1I1G2H4T1

noun

A fear of water; aquaphobia.

Scrabble 21

Meanings

nounwaterfright (countable and uncountable, plural waterfrights)

plural waterfrights · alternative water-fright · alternative water fright

  1. countablenonstandardrareuncountableA fear of water; aquaphobia.

    However, once you get the water-fright it is almost incurable, and perhaps not worth writing about.

    2019, Stephen Graham, The Gentle Art of Tramping, page 81
    4 more examples

    Possibly the foundation was subconscious memories of two water-frights, one on the ocean at six, one on a pond at thirteen ; but these were in themselves unimportant; and I have found, in my subconscious, few ideational or emotional associations.

    1927, William Ellery Leonard, The Locomotive-God, page 279

    Others describe water fright as a condition marked by aversion to being bathed, cold, damp skin,and hyperkinesis, and yet others by fever and cold sweating even though the child is bundled and placed in the sun.

    2010, Frank J. Lipp, The Mixe of Oaxaca: Religion, Ritual, and Healing

    Leaving your dog sitting in dirty water will get its ears acclimatized to the sound of running water and kill this water fright it has.

    2014, Joan Price, Do It Yourself Dog Grooming, page 4

    By doing so, he wanted to produce a waterfright in Truman to prevent him from crossing the sea behind which he could find an exit from the false world.

    2018, Garry W. Trompf, Gunner B. Mikkelsen, Jay Johnston, The Gnostic World

    Synonyms: hydrophobia, water-fear

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA fear of water; aquaphobia.

Origin

From water + fright. Compare Old English wæterfyrhtness (“fear of water, hydrophobia”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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