Standard Lemma guide

phonophobia

noun · 2 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An unusual fear of sound, especially of speaking aloud or of one's own voice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • 2003 Buck Wolf Wolf Files: Celebrity Phobias ABC News The 50-year-old Gest claims he's in constant pain from beatings during the 15-month marriage. The show business producer claims to be taking 11 different medications a day, some more than once, for headaches, nausea, hypertension, scalp tenderness, insomnia — and phonophobia. Phonophobia? Minnelli might assume that must be Gest's fear of being phony. After all, she denies all the allegations of violence. However, phonophobia is the fear of using a telephone and, especially, the fear of the sound of your own voice.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a morbid fear of sounds including your own voice

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: acousticophobia

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: simple phobia

History

Etymology

From phono- + -phobia.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: phonophobie — fear of sounds
  • Italian: fonofobia — fear of sounds