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
Barbara TritelExamples 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
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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
See All Example Sentences for claustrophobia
Cite this Entry
“Claustrophobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/claustrophobia. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
claustrophobia
noun
claus·tro·pho·bia
ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə
: abnormal fear of being in closed or narrow spaces
claustrophobic
adjective
-ˈfō-bik
Medical Definition
claustrophobia
noun
claus·tro·pho·bia
ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə
: abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces
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