Standard Lemma guide

tetraphobia

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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  • rhymes with -əʊbiə

1

noun

Meaning 1

Custom of avoiding the number four (4) commonly seen in those East Asian countries in whose local languages the words for "4" and "death" are paronymous or homophonous.

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

From tetra- + -phobia.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Estonian: tetrafoobia — fear of the number four
  • Finnish: tetrafobia — fear of the number four
  • French: tétraphobie — fear of the number four
  • Hungarian: tetrafóbia — fear of the number four
  • Russian: тетрафо́бия (tetrafóbija) — fear of the number four
  • Turkish: tetrafobi — fear of the number four