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

When Schuyler was fourteen, his family moved to East Aurora, New York, just outside Buffalo, and the claustrophobia of family life began to break. —Dan Chiasson, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

The sheriff’s simmering anger, which reaches boiling point as a result of Eddington’s growing air of claustrophobia and his own loosening grip on his life, leads to Cross assassinating Garcia. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025

With tunnel dimensions measuring 13.5 feet in diameter and depths up to 80 feet underground, some might worry about experiencing claustrophobia while riding in a Tesla. —Stuart Dyos, The Tennessean, 30 July 2025

People with claustrophobia may struggle to tolerate being inside the MRI machine. —Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 14 June 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