What does arachnophobic mean?
Arachnophobic is an adjective describing someone who has an extreme, persistent, and typically irrational fear of spiders, and by extension anything characterized by that fear. A person described as arachnophobic may go out of their way to avoid places where spiders might appear, react with panic upon seeing one, or feel distress even at images of them. The word derives from Greek roots: 'arachne,' meaning spider, combined with 'phobia,' meaning fear. It is closely related to the noun arachnophobia, which names the condition itself, and to arachnophobe, which denotes a person who suffers from it. In tone, arachnophobic is neutral to informal, common in everyday speech and journalism but less frequent in formal clinical writing, where psychologists speak instead of specific phobias. Its usefulness lies in offering a precise, widely understood label for one of the most common animal-related fears, making it a natural choice in both casual description and discussions of anxiety.
adjectiveHaving an extreme or irrational fear of spiders (and sometimes other arachnids such as scorpions); relating to or characteristic of this fear.
- Describing a person who has an extreme or irrational fear of spiders.
- Relating to or characterized by a fear of spiders (e.g., an arachnophobic response).
"She's so arachnophobic that she won't even look at pictures of spiders."
"As someone thoroughly arachnophobic, he asked his roommate to deal with any spider found in the apartment."
"The film plays on arachnophobic viewers with its swarm of eight-legged antagonists."
The word traces back to the Greek 'arachne' — spider — which mythology says was once a weaver so skilled she challenged the goddess Athena and was turned into a spider for it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arachnophobic
Arachnophobic combines the Greek 'aráchnē,' meaning spider, with '-phobic,' from Greek 'phóbos,' meaning fear or dread. The element 'aráchnē' entered scientific vocabulary through Latin as 'arachnida' and 'arachnid,' terms for the class of eight-legged arthropods that includes spiders and scorpions. The compound was formed in English on the model of earlier phobia terms, alongside the noun arachnophobia, which names the fear itself. Cognates sharing the same root include arachnid, arachnology (the study of spiders), and arachnoid.
Related word forms
How arachnophobic is actually used
The word is informal-to-neutral in register and appears most often in everyday conversation and popular writing rather than clinical contexts, where 'specific phobia' is preferred. It is occasionally used as a noun meaning a person with the fear, though the dedicated noun 'arachnophobe' is more standard.
Easily confused with arachnophobic
Arachnophobia is the noun naming the fear itself, while arachnophobic is the adjective describing a person or response marked by that fear.
Acrophobic describes an intense fear of heights, not of spiders.