claustrophobia

noun

claus·​tro·​pho·​bia ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

1

: abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces

2

: a feeling of discomfort or discontent caused by being in a limiting or restrictive situation or environment

While recovering in the hospital, she recognizes the claustrophobia of her working-class life, shared with a suffocatingly affectionate mother and a dud of a dad.

—Barbara Tritel

claustrophobe

ˈklȯ-strə-ˌfōb 

noun

Examples of claustrophobia in a Sentence

She doesn't go in elevators because of her claustrophobia.

the claustrophobia of small-town life

Recent Examples on the Web

Psychological factors such as anxiety, claustrophobia and aviophobia (fear of flying) can also trigger an unusual behavior that the passenger may not show in other social contexts. —Milad Haghani, CNN Money, 6 June 2025

Anderson wrote Asteroid City while in quarantine, an experience that appears to have directly informed its sense of anxiety and claustrophobia. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 6 June 2025

Days later, doctors ordered an MRI, and Guild, whose muscular frame barely fit in the machine, feared an attack of claustrophobia. —David W. Brown, New Yorker, 12 June 2025

Building ceilings also added to the overall feeling of claustrophobia in the series. —Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin claustrum + New Latin -phobia

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for claustrophobia

• rhizobia
• agoraphobia
• homophobia
• hydrophobia
• photophobia
• xenophobia
• phobia

Kids Definition

claustrophobia

noun

claus·​tro·​pho·​bia ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

: abnormal fear of being in closed or narrow spaces

claustrophobic

-ˈfō-bik

adjective

Medical Definition

claustrophobia

noun

claus·​tro·​pho·​bia ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə 

: abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces