homophobia

[hoh-muh-foh-bee-uh]

noun

1. an aversion or hostility to, disdain for, or fear of gay sexual orientation or gay people.

homophobia

/ ˌhəʊməʊˈfəʊbɪə /

noun

1. intense hatred or fear of homosexuals or homosexuality

Sensitive Note

The combining form -phobia is used in some words that describe intolerance toward a group of people as defined by nationality, ancestry, sexual identity or orientation, creed, or race: homophobia , Islamophobia , transphobia . Though there is an element of fear when interacting with the unknown or the Other, words in this category are not primarily about anxiety; rather, these terms are commonly associated with hatred or disgust. The use of -phobia words to indicate hostility toward groups of people is therefore frequently criticized. Advocates and activists representing these groups recommend using the prefix anti- instead, in words such as antigay , anti-Islam , antitrans .

Other Word Forms

• homophobic adjective
• homophobe noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of homophobia¹

First recorded in 1960–65; homo(sexual) + -phobia; popularized by the American psychologist George Weinberg (1929–2017); an earlier sense “fear of men or humankind” was first recorded in the 1920s, from Latin homō “man, human being” + -phobia

Word History and Origins

Origin of homophobia¹

C20: from _homo ( _sexual ) + _-phobia

Example Sentences

He’s also working to overcome childhood trauma, including his father’s homophobia.

From Salon

Brown first shared the news in a direct message to The Daily Aus's social media account after watching coverage of recent incidents of homophobia in the AFL.

From BBC

Social media and the ubiquity of smartphones have allowed citizens to expose instances of genuine, and often institutionalized, racism, sexism, homophobia and consumer exploitation.

From Los Angeles Times

She describes much of the social media and online comment as being driven by homophobia.

From BBC

"There was no system for doing so and I was frightened it would make me look bad," he said, adding he felt homophobia in Parliament had declined during his 24 years as an MP.

From BBC