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 Tritel
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
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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
Articles Related to claustrophobia
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.
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Kids 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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