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.
Source: wiktionary
Fobo
Synonyms for "fobo"
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1 entriesSample sentences
4 total sentences available.
[…] others referred to option paralysis (a term popularized by Black Mirror); still others invoked FOBO (“fear of a better option”).
Source: wiktionary
Try choosing a large cap mutual fund and you will experience a FOBO.
Source: wiktionary
I have since adopted this strategy for myself to defuse FOBO. “Wouldn't it be nice if my presentation today went well!”
Source: wiktionary
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.