agoraphobia

noun

ag·​o·​ra·​pho·​bia ˌa-g(ə-)rə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

ə-ˌgȯr-ə-

: abnormal fear of being helpless in a situation from which escape may be difficult or embarrassing that is characterized initially often by panic or anticipatory anxiety and finally by the avoidance of open or public places

Did you know?

The agora was the marketplace in ancient Greece; thus, agoraphobia often involves fear of public places and crowds. But it also may involve fear of being in shops, or even fear of being in open spaces, or fear of traveling alone. It may also be a fear of experiencing some uncontrollable or embarrassing event (like fainting) in the presence of others with no help available. Agoraphobia can be hard to understand for those who don't suffer from it, especially because it can take so many different forms, but it is often a serious and socially crippling condition.

Examples of agoraphobia in a Sentence

a patient suffering from agoraphobia

Recent Examples on the Web

Sabrina Carpenter has been accused of insensitivity after a lyric in her new album referenced wishing agoraphobia upon someone. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025

Mi-ji develops a severe agoraphobia, and spends three years in her room. —Kayti Burt, Time, 30 June 2025

That shift in tone, from closed, dark and claustrophobic to expansive and bright, is enough to spur a little agoraphobia in any of us. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2025

Hana has agoraphobia, so there is this sensitivity that Jen has to have with her. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Agoraphobie, from Greek agorā-, combining form of agorá "place of assembly, agora entry 1" + German -phobie -phobia

Note: The term was introduced by the German neurologist and psychiatrist Carl Friedrich Otto Westphal (1833-90) in "Die Agoraphobie, eine neuropathische Erscheinung," Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, Band 3, Heft 1 (1871), pp. 138-161. Westphal gives as his vernacular equivalent Platzfurcht.

First Known Use

circa 1871, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for agoraphobia

• claustrophobia
• homophobia
• hydrophobia
• photophobia
• xenophobia
• phobia
• rhizobia

Kids Definition

agoraphobia

noun

ag·​o·​ra·​pho·​bia ˌa-gə-rə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

: abnormal fear of being helpless in a situation which is embarrassing or inescapable and that leads to the avoidance of open or public places

agoraphobic

-ˈfō-bik 

adjective

Medical Definition

agoraphobia

noun

ag·​o·​ra·​pho·​bia ˌag(-ə)-rə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

: abnormal fear of being helpless in a situation from which escape may be difficult or embarrassing that is characterized initially often by panic or anticipatory anxiety and finally by avoidance of open or public places