Standard Lemma guide

phobosophy

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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  • Received-Pronunciation: fŏbŏʹsəfĭ
  • Received-Pronunciation: /fɒˈbɒsəfɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The fear of abstract knowledge or philosophical thinking; anti-philosophy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Coined by John Desmond Bernal in The Freedom of Necessity (1949): phobo- (“fear”) + -sophy (“wisdom, knowledge”), in contradistinction with philosophy; compare sophophobia.