epistolophobia

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐπιστολή (epistolḗ, “message, letter”) + φόβος (phóbos, “fear”) + -ia.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊbiə

Noun

epistolophobia (usually uncountable, plural epistolophobias)

1. An abnormal or irrational fear of correspondence, especially the receiving or writing of letters or messages.
   • 2012, Boris Gasparov, Beyond Pure Reason: Ferdinand de Saussure's Philosophy of Language and Its Early Romantic Antecedents, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 31:

     One of the signs of Saussure's progressing reticence was what he himself called his epistolophobia or graphophobia. His letters to colleagues almost invariably began with apologies for a delay (sometimes of years) in responding.

   • 2018, Paul Anthony Jones, “The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities”, in TLS. Times Literary Supplement, number 6002, NI Syndication Limited:

     Elsewhere, from Ancient Greek, we have "epistolophobia" (the fear of receiving correspondence)

   • 1800, Wilhelm Schlegel, Letter to Johann Diederich Gries in Göttingen:

     I am in fact carrying on no correspondence at all except with booksellers, and even that has now transitioned into the malady all too familiar under the name epistolophobia. [Footnote 4: “Fear of, aversion to letters.”]

   • 2019, Laura Hale Brockway, Phobias that stymie writers, Impertinent Remarks - from Ragan Communications PR Daily, url=https://impertinentremarks.com/phobias-that-stymie-writers/

     Epistolophobia — fear of correspondence

   • 2021, Robert Lynd, Writing Letters, Aligarh Muslim University Press

     D. How does the author describe the disease of epistobhobia?[sic]

     Ans. Epistolophobia, fear of letter writing. Lynd describes it as a common disease found in a large number of people who are afraid of letter writing. There are people who suffer from Epistolophobia and do not answer letters timely as they want to answer it when they really have something to say. However, such people, victims of Epsitolophobia are accused of rudeness whereas they are not. They just don’t want to write something unnecessary. They wait till something worth writing comes up.

     E. Explain the lines: ‘As for Australia, one sits down to a letter to Australia in the mood of a man preparing to write a history of the civilised[sic] world. We do not know if everybody has this materialistic sense of space. We confess we have it strongly. We sincerely sympathise[sic] with the man whose second cousin in Australia congratulated him on his engagement. A letter from Australia throws a responsibility on a man from which the boldest may well shrink.’

     Ans. There are some people who suffer from Epistolophobia and bad things happens with them is that sometimes they get letter from far continental distance which is not really worth replying. In such moment that person starts making excuse[sic] for not answering the letter. What if the letter arrives to that person in Australia when he has sat for writing something very important? shall the letter distract the person anyway? Does that person is in a leisure to read such unnecessary congratulating letter or even reply of a letter that was sent some 11 years ago. Author sympathises[sic] with such person who is in such circumstances.

Synonyms

• (fear of correspondence): graphophobia, logophobia, uncommunicative

Derived terms

• epistolophobe
• epistolophobic