phobia
FOH-bee-uhnounMeaning a strong, lasting fear of one thing, often far beyond any real danger
Memory hook FOE-BEE-a: every BEE is her FOE. To Greta, every bee is a foe: she has a phobia of bees and runs from even the smallest one.
Felix has a phobia of elevators, so he always takes the stairs.
In context Ivy’s phobia was out of all proportion to any real danger: even a photo of a tiny, harmless spider made her heart pound.
Similar fear, terror, horror, aversion
Opposite fondness, liking
From Greek phobos, “fear, panic.” The ending -phobia names many fears: acrophobia is a fear of heights.