Thanatophobia

/ˌθænətoʊˈfoʊbiə/ noun

Definition

An intense, abnormal fear of death or dying that significantly interferes with daily life and functioning. This anxiety disorder can manifest as obsessive thoughts about mortality, panic attacks when confronting death-related stimuli, or extreme avoidance of situations that remind the person of death.

Etymology

From Greek 'thanatos' (death) and 'phobos' (fear). Thanatos was the personification of death in Greek mythology, and the term entered psychological literature in the early 20th century as Freud explored death anxiety in psychoanalytic theory.

Kelly Says

Thanatophobia often peaks during midlife crises and can be triggered by personal health scares or loss of loved ones, making it particularly relevant in medical settings where patients confront mortality. Unlike normal death anxiety, thanatophobia can paralyze decision-making about medical care, leading some patients to avoid necessary treatments or become hypochondriacal.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
ሞት paura (mot paura)
mot paura
ARالعربية
فوبيا الموت (fōbīya al-mawt)
foh-bee-yah al-mawt
BNবাংলা
মৃত্যুর ভয় (mr̥tyur bhaya)
mr̥tyur bhaya
CACatalà
fobia a la mort
foh-bee-ah ah la mort
CSČeština
strach ze smrti
strach ze smer-ti
DADansk
dødsangst
dohs-angst
DEDeutsch
Thanatophobie
tha-na-to-fo-bee
ELΕλληνικά
φοβία θανάτου (foβía thanáto)
foh-bee-ah tha-na-to
ESEspañol
fobia a la muerte
foh-bee-ah ah la muh-er-teh
FAفارسی
ترس از مرگ (tars az marg)
tahrs az marg
FISuomi
kuolemanpelko
kuo-le-man-pel-ko
FRFrançais
thanatophobie
tan-a-to-fo-bee
GUGU
મૃત્યુનો ભય (mr̥tyuno bhaya)
mr̥tyuno bhaya
HAHA
jinan da mutu
ji-nan da mu-too
HEעברית
פוביה למוות (fobiyat la-mot)
foh-bee-yah la-mot
HIहिन्दी
मृत्यु का भय (mr̥tyu kā bhaya)
mr̥tyu ka bhaya
HUMagyar
halálfélelem
ha-lal-fe-le-lem
IDBahasa Indonesia
takut mati
ta-kut ma-tee
IGIG
nkechi ọnwụ
nke-chi on-wuu
ITItaliano
tanatofobia
ta-na-to-fo-bee-ah
JA日本語
死の恐怖症 (shi no kyoufu-shō)
shee no kyou-foo-shoh
KKKK
ölim qorbasyna
o-lim qor-ba-sy-na
KMKM
កម្មសម្ភារៈ នៃ មរណភាព (kamma-samphā-ra-nek nai mor-na-phā-p)
kam-ma-sam-pha-ra-nek nai mor-na-pha-p
KO한국어
죽음 공포증 (juk-eum gong-po-jeung)
juk-eum gong-po-jeung
MRMR
मृत्युची भीती (mr̥tyucī bhītī)
mr̥tyucī bhītī
MSBahasa Melayu
takut mati
ta-kut ma-tee
MYမြန်မာ
လူကြီး ကြောင့် ချစ်ခြင်း (lu kyee kyiang chitt-ching)
lu kyee kyiang chitt-ching
NLNederlands
doodangst
dood-angst
NONorsk
dødsangst
dohs-angst
PAPA
ਮੌਤ ਦਾ ਭય (maut da bhay)
maut da bhay
PLPolski
fobia śmierci
fo-bee-ah smer-chi
PTPortuguês
tanatofobia
ta-na-to-fo-bee-ah
RORomână
fobia morții
foh-bee-ah mo-ree
RUРусский
таннатофобия
tan-na-to-fo-bee-ya
SVSvenska
dödsfobi
dohs-foh-bee
SWKiswahili
kuwazo cha kifo
koo-wa-zo cha ki-fo
TAதமிழ்
இறப்புப் பயம் (iṟappu payam)
ir-appu pay-am
TEతెలుగు
మరణ భయం (maraṇa bhayaṁ)
maraṇa bhayaṁ
THไทย
กลัวตาย (klua-tai)
glua-tai
TLTL
takot sa kamatayan
ta-kot sa ka-ma-ta-yan
TRTürkçe
ölüm fobisi
o-lum foh-bee-see
UKУкраїнська
фобія смерті
foh-bee-ya smer-ti
URاردو
موت کا خوف (maut ka khoof)
mawt ka khoof
VITiếng Việt
sợ chết
soh chet
YOYO
ẹ̀sẹ̀ Ọ̀rún (ẹ̀sẹ̀ Ọ̀rún)
eh-seh or-oon
ZH中文
死亡恐惧症 (sǐwáng kǒngjùzhèng)
sih-wang kong-joo-zheng
ZUZU
ukhohlwa nge ukufa
u-kho-hlwa nge u-ku-fa

Related Words

existential anxiety hypochondriasis panic disorder generalized anxiety health anxiety mortality salience

Explore More Words

cartilage gangway epaxial greatcoats cory

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.