FOBO

See also: Fobo and -fobo

English

Noun

FOBO (uncountable)

1. (slang) Initialism of fear of a better option.

   Coordinate term: FOMO

   • 2016, Patrick J. McGinnis, The 10% Entrepreneur‎^[1], Penguin, →ISBN:

     The whole thing actually started with FOBO, or Fear of a Better Option. It was the term I came up with to explain the fact that everyone I knew at school was always looking for something better.

   • 2018 November 13, Kate Julian, “Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex?”, in The Atlantic‎^[2]:

     […] others referred to option paralysis (a term popularized by Black Mirror); still others invoked FOBO (“fear of a better option”).

   • 2021, Sandeep Sahni, Sanjit Singh Paul, What My MBA Did Not Teach Me About Money‎^[3], Notion Press, →ISBN:

     Try choosing a large cap mutual fund and you will experience a FOBO.

2. (rare) Initialism of fear of bad outcomes.
   • 2021, Poppy Jamie, Happy Not Perfect‎^[4], Harmony/Rodale, →ISBN:

     I have since adopted this strategy for myself to defuse FOBO. “Wouldn't it be nice if my presentation today went well!”