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:/ˌtɹɪpəˈfəʊbi.ə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:trĭ'pə-fōʹbē-ə
General-American:/ˌtɹɪpəˈfoʊbi.ə/
rhymes with -əʊbiə
1
noun
Meaning 1
An irrational or obsessive fear of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes, such as those found in honeycombs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, psychology, sciences
Examples
2015, Irena Milosevic, Trypophobia (Fear of Holes), Irena Milosevic, Randi E. McCabe (editors), Phobias: The Psychology of Irrational Fear, ABC-CLIO (Greenwood), page 401, In particular, individuals with trypophobia are fearful of clusters of holes that are found in a variety of objects and matter such as skin, coral, honeycombs, seed pods, and even aerated chocolate.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Ancient Greek τρῦπα (trûpa, “hole”), compare Ancient Greek τρυπάω (trupáō, “bore”), + -phobia (from Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos, “fear, phobia”)), said to have been coined by a blogger from Ireland in 2005.
Across languages
Translations
13 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
密集恐懼症 /密集恐惧症
(mìjíkǒngjùzhèng)
— fear of holes
Danish:
trypofobi
— fear of holes
Finnish:
trypofobia
— fear of holes
French:
trypophobie
— fear of holes
Galician:
tripofobia
— fear of holes
Greek:
τρυποφοβία
(trypofovía)
— fear of holes
Italian:
tripofobia
— fear of holes
Japanese:
集合体恐怖症
(shūgōtai kyōfushō)
— fear of holes
