hydrophobia
/ˌhaɪdrəˈfoʊbiə/
noun
- An extreme or irrational fear of water.
- Hydrophobia can make everyday activities like washing dishes very stressful.
- Her hydrophobia is so severe that she cannot even look at a picture of the ocean.
- Therapy helped him overcome his hydrophobia enough to take a bath.
- An old name for rabies, especially in animals, because one symptom is difficulty swallowing water.
- Before vaccines, hydrophobia was a deadly disease spread by animal bites.
- Farmers used to call rabies 'hydrophobia' because infected animals avoided water.
- The stray dog was showing signs of hydrophobia and had to be quarantined.
Synonyms