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Glite Dictionary
musophobia

musophobia

9.9
A very strong fear of mice
  • noun
  • /ˌmjuːsəˈfoʊbiə/
  • Specialized
: musofobia
  • The psychologist diagnosed her with musophobia after repeated panic attacks at the sight of rodents.

Examples

  • His severe musophobia made it impossible for him to visit friends who kept pet mice.

  • Because of his musophobia, he avoided old houses where he thought mice might be present.

  • Her musophobia made it difficult for her to enter the basement.

  • Many people with musophobia avoid places where mice might be.

  • His severe musophobia prevented him from enjoying family gatherings at homes that had previously hosted mice.

  • Because of her musophobia, she couldn't bear to look at pictures of mice, fearing they might cause her distress.

  • The doctor explained that musophobia is a common phobia that can lead to significant anxiety when confronted with mice.

Surface Forms

musophobia singular
musophobias plural

Morphology

musophobia = phobia (opaque) = muso + phobia

The word is built from the learned combining form muso- plus 'phobia', but the mouse element is not a transparent standalone English word for most learners.

Etymology

Musophobia comes from two old parts: mus meaning 'mouse' and phobia meaning 'fear', the same phobia you see in arachnophobia. So musophobia is simply a very strong fear of mice.