agoraphobe

noun

ag·​o·​ra·​phobe ˈa-g(ə-)rə-ˌfōb How to pronounce agoraphobe (audio)
ə-ˈgȯr-ə-
plural agoraphobes
: a person who has an abnormal fear of open or public spaces : a person affected with agoraphobia : agoraphobic
… Emily Dickinson, an agoraphobe who virtually never left her house …O, The Oprah Magazine
Agoraphobes are usually treated with medication or with behavioral therapy …John McElhenny

Examples of agoraphobe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The movie, which stars Amy Adams as a hard-drinking agoraphobe who believes that she’s witnessed a murder from the window of her Harlem town house, is cut off from any wider significance and, for that matter, from the milieu in which it’s implausibly set. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 May 2021 Zoë Kravitz stars as a Seattle agoraphobe who discovers a violent crime while reviewing data and must overcome her fears and leave her apartment to help solve the case. David Faris, The Week, 9 Jan. 2022 The growth of online shopping and Grubhub dining is an agoraphobe’s delight, but the constant flow of deliveries has turned the competition for a stretch of curb into a contact sport. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 11 Nov. 2021 To an agoraphobe like me, the thought of meeting up with other outdoor athletes, and doing yoga, or trail running, or even stargazing en masse—the very essence of Mountain Festival— sounded more than a little intimidating. Stephanie Pearson, Outside Online, 13 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agoraphobe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of agoraphobe was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near agoraphobe

Cite this Entry

“Agoraphobe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agoraphobe. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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