agoraphobic

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adjective

ag·o·ra·pho·bic ˌa-g(ə-)rə-ˈfō-bik

ə-ˌgȯr-ə-

: relating to, affected with, or inclined to agoraphobia : abnormally fearful of open or public spaces from which escape (as during a panic attack) may be difficult or impossible

an agoraphobic patient

My mother was agoraphobic, which means she was often housebound, terrified of stores, cars and crowds.—

Michael Christie

I'm sure it was a really good camp, and I bet all but the most agoraphobic kids would have a great time there.—

John Kelly

agoraphobic

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noun

plural agoraphobics

: a person who has an abnormal fear of open or public spaces : a person affected with agoraphobia : agoraphobe

Experts say agoraphobics usually associate their panic with the place they first experience it …—

Lena Williams

Because of this fear, agoraphobics map out safe zones (their homes, usually) and retreat into private worlds, which can become prisons.—

Michael Christie

Examples of agoraphobic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The story centers on Anna Fox (Adams), an agoraphobic woman confined to her home in New York City. —

Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 May 2021 The Whale, about a depressed and agoraphobic man struggling with obesity, is a tour de force for Brendan Fraser but otherwise divisive among viewers. —

Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2023 Pairs an eccentric, agoraphobic arm-chair detective with a reluctant traffic cop in a series that showcases community, connection and yes, only-in-Florida characters. —

Rodney Ho, ajc, 25 Sep. 2022 Stephen Soderbergh’s latest endeavor stars Zoë Kravitz as a blue-haired agoraphobic tech worker who listens to audio streams from users whose requests weren’t understood by Kimi, an Alexa-like virtual home assistant, and tries to resolve the communication bugs. —

Jihane Bousfiha, ELLE, 30 Apr. 2022 In 1990, the actor played the agoraphobic orchid-growing Harold Smith in the sophomore season of Showtime's Twin Peaks. —

Giovana Gelhoren, PEOPLE.com, 8 July 2022 Steven Soderbergh taps into a distinctly pandemic-era paranoia in this high-tech Rear Window, with Zoë Kravitz playing an agoraphobic tech worker who hears an assault while going through recordings from a virtual assistant. —

Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 Mar. 2022 For the upcoming thriller KIMI, Kravitz takes off her catsuit to play an agoraphobic tech worker with bright blue hair who accidentally comes across an audio file linked to a recent murder. —

Michella Oré, Allure, 12 Jan. 2022 In April, Amy Adams signed on to star in the film as the main character, Dr. Anna Fox, an agoraphobic woman who witnesses a murder while spying on her neighbors, only to later find out that no one believes her story. —

Lauren Huff, EW.com, 13 May 2021

Noun

Watching the fireworks from the Esplanade—roughly between the Museum of Science down to the Boston University Bridge—is a quintessential Boston experience, but not suggested for the agoraphobic. —

Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2022 See More

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