taphephobia

9.9

A strong fear of being buried alive

noun
/ˌtæfɪˈfoʊbiə/

NSFW

: tapefobia

Her taphephobia causes her to feel panic at the thought of being buried alive.

Examples

Ever since he read stories about premature burials, his taphephobia intensified.
A strong taphephobia led her to avoid cemeteries and funerals altogether.
The nineteenth century saw a rise in taphephobia due to medical uncertainties in declaring death.
Many people with taphephobia avoid discussing burial practices.
Her taphephobia makes her anxious during funerals.
After watching a horror movie about being buried alive, his taphephobia became worse.
People with taphephobia often experience anxiety when they think about cemeteries.

Surface Forms

taphephobia singular

taphephobias plural

Morphology

taphephobia = phobia (semi-transparent) = taphe + phobia

The combining form 'taphe-' (burial) is uncommon for average learners, while '-phobia' clearly signals 'fear', so the full meaning is partly guessable but depends on rare Greek knowledge.

Etymology

Taphephobia comes from Greek parts: taph- meaning 'grave' and -phobia meaning 'fear', the same ending you see in arachnophobia. So, taphephobia is a 'fear of graves', which explains why it is an intense fear of being buried alive.