FOMO
noun /ˈfoʊ.moʊ/ — Fear of Missing Out — anxiety about being excluded from experiences
Definition
Fear of Missing Out: the anxiety that others are having more exciting, fulfilling experiences and that you are being excluded from something meaningful. FOMO drives social media behaviour, impulse decisions, and the inability to fully enjoy what you have.
Beyond the definition
FOMO is the anxiety of comparison made digital — every photo of a party you weren't at, every experience you haven't had. It's the shadow side of connectivity: the more you can see, the more you can feel excluded from.
Origin & history
Coined by Patrick J. McGinnis in a 2004 article in The Harbus, Harvard Business School's journal. Mainstream adoption followed the rise of social media platforms showing other people's curated experiences.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She couldn't enjoy the quiet evening without FOMO about what was happening downtown.
FOMO is the price of a connected world: you can see everything you're not doing.
The antidote to FOMO isn't disconnection — it's deep enough satisfaction with your own choices.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “FOMO” when the meaning fits your context: Fear of Missing Out: the anxiety that others are having more exciting, fulfilling experiences and that you are being excluded from something meaningful. FOMO drives social media behaviour, impulse decisions, and the inability to fully enjoy what you have.
Synonyms
fear of exclusion, social anxiety, missing out dread
Antonyms
JOMO, contentment, presence
Related words
FOMO vs social anxiety
FOMO is the specific dread of missing out on a fun event or experience. Social anxiety is a wider mental health condition involving fear of social interaction and judgment.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Exhausted Adult Amidst Chaotic Crowd
An adult sits on a park bench, head in hands, surrounded by a chaotic flow of people.
The individual is overwhelmed by the energy they feel disconnected from. FOMO is this anxiety that others are having more meaningful experiences, causing a sense of exclusion and an inability to enjoy one’s own present state.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "FOMO" mean?
FOMO is noun meaning: Fear of Missing Out — anxiety about being excluded from experiences. Fear of Missing Out: the anxiety that others are having more exciting, fulfilling experiences and that you are being excluded from something meaningful. FOMO drives social media behaviour, impulse decisions, and the inability to fully enjoy what you have.
Where does the word "FOMO" come from?
Coined by Patrick J. McGinnis in a 2004 article in The Harbus, Harvard Business School's journal. Mainstream adoption followed the rise of social media platforms showing other people's curated experiences.