russophobia means contempt or hatred towards Russia or Russians, especially the political system, or the customs of the former Soviet Union. It carries an Arena rating of 1333, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, russophobia ranks #2,944 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,616 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #4,846 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #5,012 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “russophobia” is a great word
RUSSOPHOBIA — [Noun] A profound aversion or hostility directed at Russia or Russians, their political systems, or customs. From the combining form Russo- (pertaining to Russia) and the combining form -phobia (fear or aversion), first attested in English c. 1836. Unlike anti-communism (which targets an ideology) or xenophobia (which is a generalized dread of the foreign), Russophobia is a focused, often geopolitical contempt. It is the chill of a diplomatic snub, the cartoonist's caricature of the monolithic bear, the reflexive dismissal of a symphony as mere barbaric noise—a chronic condition of the political imagination that reduces a vast and contradictory civilization to a single, menacing silhouette.
Etymology
From Russo- + -phobia, c. 1836. See also Russian русофобия (rusofobija).
noun
- Contempt or hatred towards Russia or Russians, especially the political system, or the customs of the former Soviet Union.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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