zoophobia

/ˌzoʊəˈfoʊbiə/

When someone is deeply afraid of animals — whether that fear relates to mice, cats, or elephants — they suffer from zoophobia. If you have zoophobia, you probably shouldn't pursue a career as a veterinarian.

This word's roots couldn't be more clear: zoo- relates to animals, from the Greek zoion, and phobia means "irrational fear," also from a Greek root, phobos. Some people with zoophobia are terrified of every non-human animal, although it's more common for zoophobia to relate to a single type of animal, like alligators or lions. In any case, if you suffer from zoophobia, the idea of visiting the zoo likely fills you with dread.

Definitions of zoophobia

1. noun

   a morbid fear of animals
   types:

   acarophobia

   a morbid fear of small insects and mites and worms

   arachnophobia

   a morbid fear of spiders

   ailurophobia

   a morbid fear of cats

   cynophobia

   a morbid fear of dogs

   entomophobia

   a morbid fear of insects

   lepidophobia

   a morbid fear of snakes

   musophobia

   a morbid fear of mice

   type of:

   simple phobia

   any phobia (other than agoraphobia) associated with relatively simple well-defined stimuli