Pteronophobia is the fear of what?

Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers. The term is built from Greek roots associated with feathers and fear, and it is generally treated as a specific phobia involving feathers or the sensation of feathers touching the skin.

The fear is sometimes described more broadly as a fear of feathers themselves. That distinction explains why references may use slightly different wording, such as “fear of feathers” or “fear of being tickled by feathers.” In a trivia setting, the stored answer identifies the characteristic trigger clearly.

Pteronophobia is not the same as ornithophobia, which is fear of birds, or aerophobia, which is fear of flying. A person could fear birds without fearing loose feathers, or dislike the tactile sensation of feathers without being afraid of birds. Specific phobias can involve objects, animals, situations, or bodily sensations.