claustrophobia

noun

claus·​tro·​pho·​bia ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce claustrophobia (audio)
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 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 Yet the Iliad’s greatness is inseparable from its claustrophobia. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 Smoother crowd flows would alleviate the acrid rush-hour tang of claustrophobia and panic and allow the place to handle even more passengers. Curbed, 17 Apr. 2023 Written during the pandemic lockdown as well as the in-between times while on tour with Dua Lipa in 2022, the album is a maximalist fever dream that evolves from claustrophobia to catharsis. Melissa Giannini, ELLE, 11 July 2023 With a sliding door and a curtain, the pods can be closed for privacy (but not locked, which is probably for the best in terms of claustrophobia). Julia Carmel, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2023 Licensed therapist Jules Jean-Pierre of Grow Therapy suggests that the more common fears associated with flying are the fears of dying, small spaces (claustrophobia), motion sickness, getting COVID, and judgment from fellow passengers, among others. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2023 The 149-minute film (the original cut ran 210 minutes) chronicled the intense claustrophobia of life aboard a doomed German U-boat during the Battle of the Atlantic, with Jürgen Prochnow as the submarine’s commander. Jake Coyle, ajc, 16 Aug. 2022 Helping reduce a sense of claustrophobia in what amounts to three long one-room scenes is the spaciousness of Britt McTammany’s widescreen cinematography, while primarily verbal content is lent sufficient urgency and variety by Ritch as editor. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 24 Apr. 2023 Despite its lashings of violence and smatterings of humor — mostly courtesy of Teng’s Zhang Da, whose often foolish, impulsive behavior doubles as a bit of a red herring — the movie willfully induces a kind of claustrophobia, a sense of entrapment. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin claustrum + New Latin -phobia

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of claustrophobia was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near claustrophobia

Cite this Entry

“Claustrophobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/claustrophobia. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

claustrophobia

noun
claus·​tro·​pho·​bia ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə How to pronounce claustrophobia (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce claustrophobia (audio)
: abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces

More from Merriam-Webster on claustrophobia

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