phobophobia
nounEtymology From Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) + -phobia, equivalent to phobo- + -phobia.
1
The fear of fear; the fear of developing a phobia.
- When Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," he was describing phobophobia -- the fear of being afraid.2004 July 26, Heather Hatfield, “The Fear Factor: Phobias”, in WebMD:
- In particular, the rulemakers – here judges who craft free speech doctrine – may themselves display a pathological fear of succumbing to pathological fear, a kind of phobophobia.2014, Adrian Vermeule, The Constitution of Risk:
- Synonyms
- phobiaphobia