What does computerphobe mean?
A computerphobe is a person who experiences fear, anxiety, or strong aversion toward computers or toward having to use them. Formed by combining 'computer' with the Greek-derived suffix '-phobe', meaning one who fears something, the word belongs to the same productive family as 'xenophobe' and 'technophobe'. It is informal in register and frequently used in a light-hearted or self-deprecating way: people describe themselves as 'self-confessed computerphobes' when admitting they prefer pen and paper to spreadsheets, or avoid online banking altogether. The term gained currency from the late twentieth century onward as personal computers entered offices and homes, making computer literacy an everyday expectation. Related forms include 'computerphobia', denoting the fear itself, and 'computerphobic', its adjectival form. While sometimes used humorously, the word can also describe genuine technophobia — real anxiety about digital technology — and it remains a useful, vivid label in discussions of the digital divide, workplace training, and the frustrations of those who feel left behind by modern technology.
nounA person who has a fear, aversion to, or strong dislike of computers or of using them.
- A person who fears or strongly dislikes computers or using them.
"A self-confessed computerphobe, she still keeps her accounts in a paper ledger rather than a spreadsheet."
"As a lifelong computerphobe, he insisted on dictating his letters for someone else to type up."
"The course was designed with the complete computerphobe in mind, starting from how to switch the machine on."
Regular plural; standard countable noun.
"Many computerphobes find that hands-on practice quickly dissolves their fears."
It's the rare word where 'computer' — a mid-20th-century invention — meets a Greek suffix older than the English language itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of computerphobe
The word combines 'computer', an English noun dating from the mid-twentieth century in its modern electronic sense (from Latin 'computare', meaning to reckon or calculate), with '-phobe', from Greek 'phobos', meaning fear. The pattern follows earlier formations such as 'xenophobe' and 'hydrophobe', which themselves derive ultimately from Greek. As computers became widespread in workplaces and homes during the later twentieth century, 'computerphobe' emerged alongside related terms like 'computerphobia' and the broader 'technophobe'.
Related word forms
How computerphobe is actually used
Informal and somewhat jocular in tone; often used self-deprecatingly ('a self-confessed computerphobe'). The related abstract noun 'computerphobia' is also common.
Easily confused with computerphobe
A technophobe avoids technology in general, while a computerphobe's aversion is specifically directed at computers and computer use.