The color purple is often considered a sign of royalty. This is the color kings wear and a color that invokes subjects to show honor and respect. It is a color chosen by a singing artist named Prince to demonstrate his own place in the annuls of music history. Whoopi Goldberg starred in a movie entitled The Color Purple. Yet for all the accolades due this color there are some who have a profound fear of purple. Their phobia is described as Porphyrophobia.

The fear of colors is known as Chromophobia. Some people will react to certain shades and tones, and others will prefer to surround themselves with an environment as free of colors as possible.

A fear of color often has less to do with the color and more to do with something else that is associated with the color. Such is the case with Xanthophobia. The fear of yellow may seem irrational to those who like to view sunsets or inhale the beauty of a yellow flower in spring. However, the serenity associated with those two experiences is lost on the xanthophobe.

In many parts of the world, black is worn to funerals. It is perceived as the color of death and mourning. For some, the dark symbolism of the color black can become off-putting. When this aversion becomes a phobia, it is called melanophobia.