claustrophobic

adjective

claus·​tro·​pho·​bic ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bik How to pronounce claustrophobic (audio)
1
: affected with or inclined to claustrophobia
2
: inducing or suggesting claustrophobia
claustrophobically 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 Here, in this claustrophobic environment, a young man regularly subjects himself to humiliating defeats. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 In fact, it’s been so slow that Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman — who is claustrophobic and has never ridden in the Loop — doesn’t think the project will ever be finished. Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024 Danish director Gustav Moller’s claustrophobic last feature, The Guilty, starred Jakob Cedergren as a police officer working the dispatch line, fielding calls from a victim, a suspect and many others, all the while holding the screen on his own. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024 Become a Subscriber The drinks were always set in her claustrophobic galley kitchen. Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2024 Small islands are strange places — everything seems magnified, heightened, in a claustrophobic, isolated space. EW.com, 17 Jan. 2024 The audience sits on top of the actors as the first act unfolds in a claustrophobic and cluttered apartment. Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2024 Certain wandered between rows of mannequins fettered with leg irons, claustrophobic dungeon cells and a towering guillotine. Jeremy Redmon, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023 Adopting an occasionally disorienting, immersive aesthetic, DP Juan Sarmiento G. observes Almaz in the present, shooting handheld as this resourceful ex-criminal navigates the claustrophobic corridors of the detention center. Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of claustrophobic was circa 1889

Dictionary Entries Near claustrophobic

Cite this Entry

“Claustrophobic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/claustrophobic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

claustrophobic

1 of 2 adjective
claus·​tro·​pho·​bic ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bik How to pronounce claustrophobic (audio)
1
: suffering from or inclined to claustrophobia
2
: inducing or suggesting claustrophobia
claustrophobically adverb

claustrophobic

2 of 2 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on claustrophobic

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