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Glite Dictionary
photophobic

photophobic

1 8.9
Feels pain or discomfort in bright light and avoids it
  • adjective
  • /ˌfoʊtəˈfoʊbɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fotofóbico
  • Many insects are photophobic, preferring the darkness to avoid predators and heat from the sun.

Examples

  • After spending too much time in the sun, she realized she was photophobic and needed to wear sunglasses outdoors.

  • I went to my optometrist, and it turns out that I'm photophobic—do you get that static fuzzy stuff in front of your eyes before a migraine?

    Blog text (4)

  • What's photophobic?

    Opal Dream (2006)

  • The vectors were expressed in the lite-1(ce314) background to prevent any potential photophobic responses (Husson et al. 2013).

    Academic text (2017)

  • People who are photophobic often find bright lights uncomfortable and may seek darker environments.

Synonyms

light-sensitive
vsphotophobic
  • Specialized
3 4.9

Something that changes when light hits it

refers to living sensitivity or avoidance rather than material reactions
photosensitive
vsphotophobic
2 7.2

React strongly to light, often changing color or breaking down

tends to avoid or feel discomfort rather than react chemically
lucifugal
vsphotophobic
  • Specialized
9.9

Tending to avoid light and stay in dark places

emphasizes internal sensitivity or discomfort rather than pure avoidance
lucifugous
vsphotophobic
9.9

Avoids light and lives in dark places

focuses more on internal sensitivity or discomfort leading to avoidance
heliophobic
vsphotophobic
  • Specialized
9.9

Tending to avoid sunlight or to be harmed by it

covers general light sensitivity or avoidance rather than sun only

How Sensitive

photophobic
  • Specialized
1 8.9
light-sensitive
  • Specialized
3 4.9

Surface Forms

photophobic positive

Morphology

photophobic = phobic (semi-transparent) = photo + phobic

The word is built transparently from photo- plus phobic, but the specialized biological sense of avoiding light is slightly less literal than the everyday meaning of 'fearful of'.

Etymology

Photophobic comes from two Greek parts: photo- meaning 'light', as in photograph, and -phobic meaning 'fear', as in phobia. So photophobic literally means 'fear of light', and it describes people, animals, or plants that avoid or are harmed by bright light.