thanatophobia

9.9

A very strong fear of dying or death

noun
/ˌθænətoʊˈfoʊbiə/

Specialized

: tanatofobia

Therapy can be beneficial for those who suffer from thanatophobia, helping them manage their fear of death.

Examples

His thanatophobia made it difficult for him to enjoy life, as he constantly worried about dying.
Many people struggle with thanatophobia, which can lead to anxiety about their own mortality.
That often means thanatophobia, fear of death.

Son of Dracula (1943)

How Fearful

thanatophobia

Specialized

9.9

unease

21 4.4

Surface Forms

thanatophobia singular

thanatophobias plural

Morphology

thanatophobia = phobia (semi-transparent) = thanato + phobia

The base 'phobia' clearly signals 'fear', but 'thanato-' is a Greek combining form not a standalone English word, so learners may not readily recognize 'death'.

Etymology

The word thanatophobia comes from the Greek words thanatos 'death' and phobos 'fear'. The ending -phobia is like the one in the familiar word arachnophobia 'fear of spiders', so thanatophobia is a strong fear of death or dying.