automatonophobia means fear of humanlike figures, such as mannequins, wax figures, statues, dummies, animatronics, or robots.
Why “automatonophobia” is a great word
Automatonophobia is the fear of humanlike figures, such as mannequins, wax figures, statues, dummies, animatronics, or robots. From automaton (from Greek, meaning 'self-acting machine') + -o- (connecting vowel) + -phobia (from Greek, meaning 'fear'). Unlike pediophobia, which fixates specifically on dolls or childlike figures, or robophobia, which targets robots and automated machines, automatonophobia envelops the entire uncanny valley. It is the frozen gaze of a department-store dummy, the waxen stillness of a museum figure, the jerky smile of an animatronic greeter—the horror of recognizing a face without a soul, and the deeper dread that the distinction may not matter as much as we pretend.
Etymology
From automaton + -o- + -phobia.
noun
- Fear of humanlike figures, such as mannequins, wax figures, statues, dummies, animatronics, or robots.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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