Coulrophobia

Coulrophobia is the irrational fear of clowns. The term is a relatively modern coinage that first circulated in informal phobia lists before being added to the Oxford Dictionary of English in 2010. Psychologists connect the fear to how clown makeup obscures the face, leaving a familiar body shape paired with an unfamiliar expression that young children find unsettling, and to the broader uncanny valley effect. A 2022 survey of 987 adults across 64 countries found that 54 percent reported some degree of coulrophobia. The fear is reinforced by the evil clown figure in popular culture, from the Joker to Pennywise in Stephen King's It, though researchers note that menacing portrayals are the exception rather than the rule among real clowns.