Standard Lemma guide

hoplophobia

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ˌhɒpləˈfəʊbɪə/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The irrational fear of guns.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • 2015: James Taranto, in "Best of the Web: The Left Loses Control," The Wall Street Journal That the [New York] Times's gun-control crusade is motivated by hoplophobia, rather than a sincere concern about crime and terrorism, can be demonstrated by a comparison with other Times editorials that do not focus on guns.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Firearms authority and writer Colonel Jeff Cooper claims to have coined the word in 1962: hoplo- (“weapon, arms”) + -phobia (“fear”).