Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An abnormal fear of the night or darkness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A fear of the night, nighttime or darkness.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a morbid fear of night or darkness

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek nux, nukt-, night; see nyctalopia + –phobia.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

nyct- + -phobia

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Examples

  • While kids grow out of such fears, if the anxiety reaches extreme levels and is considered a phobia, called nyctophobia, Ollendick says that can last through adulthood if left untreated.

    Top 10 Fears and Phobias That Really Scare People | Impact Lab 2010

  • It occurred to new employee Rudolph Scattering about once every minute that on the whole it might have been a good idea to tell the Curator about his nyctophobia, his fear of strange noises and, he now knew, his fear of absolutely every thing he could see (and, come to that, not see) hear, smell and feel crawling up his back during the endless hours on guard during the night.

    Archive 2010-07-01 Ulysses 2010

  • It occurred to new employee Rudolph Scattering about once every minute that on the whole it might have been a good idea to tell the Curator about his nyctophobia, his fear of strange noises and, he now knew, his fear of absolutely every thing he could see (and, come to that, not see) hear, smell and feel crawling up his back during the endless hours on guard during the night.

    Starting at the Beginning Ulysses 2010

  • For me, reading Denial of Death was akin to suffering from nyctophobia and moving to Barrow, Alaska during the Winter.

    An Interview With John Klima 2008

  • For me, reading Denial of Death was akin to suffering from nyctophobia and moving to Barrow, Alaska during the Winter.

    2008 September 2008

  • See all of nyctophobia, no other writeups in this node.

    Everything2 New Writeups 2009

  • See all of nyctophobia, no other writeups in this node.

    Everything2 New Writeups 2009

  • A common treatment of nyctophobia is gradually increasing time spent in the dark, as well as psychotherapy.

    Everything2 New Writeups 2009

  • A common treatment of nyctophobia is gradually increasing time spent in the dark, as well as psychotherapy.

    Everything2 New Writeups 2009

  • After nyctophobia, however, came cynophobia, the fear of dogs specifically, his grandfather’s two attack-trained Dobermans, as I recall, which the grandfather cured by making him sleep in the kennel—and beating him, of course.

    Fear Itself Jonathan Nasaw 2003

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