Gelotophobia
/dʒəˌlɒtəˈfəʊbiə/noun
An intense fear of being laughed at or ridiculed.
Did you know?The term was introduced into modern psychological discussion in the 1990s, especially through the work of German psychologist Michael Titze on people who interpret laughter as humiliation or attack.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷel-
“A reconstructed root associated with making a sound or laughing; its exact relationship to later Greek γελάω is debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γελᾶν (gelân)
“To laugh.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γέλως (gélōs)
“Laughter or a laughing matter.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
φόβος (phóbos)
“Fear, dread, or panic.”
20th Century
Scientific English
gelotophobia
“A modern psychological compound formed from Greek gelōs, “laughter,” and phobos, “fear.””
1990s
German/English psychology
Gelotophobie / gelotophobia
“Established as a term for the fear of being laughed at or ridiculed, notably in the work of Michael Titze.”
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