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12 Peculiar Phobias

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There are hundreds of phobias. Most people know about claustrophobia (fear of closed places), xenophobia (fear of strangers), and acrophobia (fear of high places), but what about macrophobia? or globophobia? Hopefully, you don’t suffer from listophobia and will read on to learn about some lesser-known phobias.

  • Ablutophobia

    Bars of soap. Bar of soap. Soap manufacturing processes and products, soap and detergent. Hygiene
    soap© Photos.com/Thinkstock

    A person with this phobia has a fear of bathing or cleaning. Fortunately for AXE, it is rare.

  • Globophobia

    More than 700 balloons fly travel over the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
    Albuquerque International Balloon FiestaRon Behrmann

    A phobia that makes clowns sad, globophobia is a fear of balloons.

  • Porphyrophobia

    Purple heather colors a Yorkshire hillside, United Kingdom.
    heather© Danielrao/iStock.com

    This is a fear of the color purple, and we don’t mean the Alice Walker novel—though that might scare a person with bibliophobia, a fear of books.

  • Sesquipedalophobia

    Pages of a dictionary from England (English dictionary, British dictionary, United Kingdom, words, opened book.
    dictionaryAblestock.com/Getty Images Plus

    Someone with this phobia has a fear of long words—which makes whoever came up with the term rather mean.

  • Chiroptophobia

    Short-tailed leaf-nosed bat (Carollia perspicillata) flying in the night. (leafnosed bats, mammals)
    leaf-nosed batAnimals Animals/SuperStock

    This is a fear of bats. You know, those creepy flying mammals that sleep upside down and sometimes suck blood.

  • Macrophobia

    This is a fear of long waits—which will likely afflict most people headed to the DMV.

  • Lachanophobia

    Broccoli
    broccoli© Corbis

    A phobia that affects children everywhere, it’s the fear of vegetables.

  • Anthophobia

    Shasta daisies. Daisy flower plant blossom
    Shasta daisies© photocheaper—iStock/Getty Images

    A fear of flowers, because sometimes daisies are just plain scary.

  • Hippophobia

    Thoroughbred stallion with dark bay coat.
    Thoroughbred stallion© Scott Smudsky

    Fear of hippopotamuses? No, it’s the fear of horses.

  • Omphalophobia, Geniophobia, and Genuphobia

    ligaments and cartilage at a knee joint, parasagittal section-lateral to midline of knee, human anatomy
    knee jointEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

    Fear of belly buttons, chins, and knees, respectively.