English

Alternative forms

• germ fear

Noun

germ-fear ‎(plural germ-fears)

1. The fear of germs and other pathogenic micro-organisms; germaphobia.
   • 1907, Indiana Academy of Science, Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science:

     It is thought that a wide understanding of facts regarding bodily resistance will tend to replace this unfortunate germ-fear by a rational faith in the body's marvelous powers.

   • 1932, Postage and the Mailbag:

     I am rapidly getting to the point where I shall consider anti-constipation advertisers and germ-fear implanters more dangerous public enemies than Al Capone.

   • 1982, San Francisco Review of Books:

     Krich suffers from pessimism, reluctance, bellyaching germ-fear, and a nagging disorientation of being out of whack.

   • 1983, William Darrach Halsey, Collier's Encyclopedia: With Bibliography and Index:

     Microphobia and Mysophobia. These phobias of germ fear and dirt fear, respectively, are closely allied.

   • 2002, Melvin A. Benarde, You've Been Had!:

     The obverse side of that germ-fear coin is the inculcation of fear of all microbes. The fact is, most microbes are not only harmless, they are beneficial, and we do not live in a sterile, germ-free world. We can't, and we shouldn't want to.

   • 2004, Ramona Dearing, So Beautiful:

     They get a kiss in before two mothers, germ-fear making them look angry, swoop the kids awav. Babies are crying, sleeping, sucking, cowboy-riding on knees, sticking their hands into their dads' mouths.

Synonyms

• bacillophobia

See also

• bacteriophobia
• mysophobia