tasos@tsournos:~

$ dict tokenophobia

tokenophobia

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/ˌtoʊ.kə.noʊˈfoʊ.bi.ə/

noun

1.

the dread of the usage window resetting with tokens still unspent.

2.

by extension, the anxiety of hitting one's AI token limit mid-thought; the compulsion to ration remaining prompts as the meter drains.

etymology

token (the unit AI systems bill your thinking in) + -phobia (Ancient Greek phóbos, "fear, dread")

usage

"She sent three throwaway prompts at 11:58 p.m., pure tokenophobia."
"I keep four Claude Code tabs open until I hit my session limit. Pure tokenophobia."

related terms

→ token anxiety → context-window dread

first known use

Coined by Anastasios Tsournos, June 10, 2026.

↳original linkedin post

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