claustrophobic

adjective

claus·​tro·​pho·​bic ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bik 

1

: affected with or inclined to claustrophobia

2

: inducing or suggesting claustrophobia

claustrophobically

ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of claustrophobic in a Sentence

The theater can be a little claustrophobic when it's full.

She doesn't go in elevators because she is claustrophobic.

Recent Examples on the Web

There is a certain claustrophobic feeling when you’re stuck in that strip of trees that are cut by shrapnel and bombs and machine guns and there is no way out. —Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2025

Much of the first half of the novel is given over to claustrophobic atmosphere that overwhelms the wide open country all around them. —Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

The show, which originally confined itself to the claustrophobic ecosystem of the trading floor, has expanded to include the grubby workings of British media and politics, and to show the intersection of the country’s landed aristocracy with other, newer forms of class aggrandizement. —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2025

The film aims to blend claustrophobic tension with dark humor. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for claustrophobic

• anaerobic
• homophobic
• hydrophobic
• aerobic
• phobic

Medical Definition

claustrophobic

1 of 2 adjective

claus·​tro·​pho·​bic ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bik 

1

: suffering from or inclined to claustrophobia

2

: inducing or suggesting claustrophobia

claustrophobically

-bi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

claustrophobic

2 of 2 noun

: claustrophobe