heliophobic
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌhɛliəˈfoʊbɪk/
- Specialized
- He prefers to stay indoors because he is heliophobic and cannot tolerate bright sunlight.
Examples
-
She was diagnosed as heliophobic, causing her to avoid sunny places to prevent skin irritation.
-
Many people with heliophobic conditions find shade or wear protective clothing when outdoors.
-
Her heliophobic skin glowed as if moonlit in the blue light of the cabin's environmental readouts.
Fiction book (2000) -
Rather, she walked the streets proudly bare-chested for the rest of the layover, drawing stares with her heliophobic skin, her ceaseless monologue, and her rank, which was frankly unbelievable on a fifteen-year-old.
Fiction book (2000)
Synonyms
2
7.2
React strongly to light, often changing color or breaking down
1
8.9
Feels pain or discomfort in bright light and avoids it
1
9.9
Avoids light and lives in dark places
Tending to avoid light and stay in dark places
How Sun-Sensitive
- Specialized
1
9.9
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
heliophobic = heliophobe (semi-transparent) = helio + phobe + ic
The adjective is formed regularly from the noun heliophobe with the common adjectival suffix -ic.
Etymology
Heliophobic comes from the parts helio- meaning 'sun' and -phobic meaning 'afraid of', the same idea you see in the word 'phobia'. So, heliophobic describes a plant, animal, or person that avoids sunlight or is harmed by it.