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Definition of Hydrophobia
Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026
Hydrophobia: 1. Literally, an irrational fear of water, to drink or to swim in. Someone who is scared of the water is hydrophobic. 2. A term once commonly used for rabies because in the later stages of that disease, the animal (or person) has difficulty swallowing and so fears a drink of water.
From hydro-, water + -phobia, fear.