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

Your fear of the ocean would go away — which is nice — but it would be quickly replaced with claustrophobia, because the inside of a whale isn't exactly roomy. —Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026

Give me the funky odors and technicolor characters of the CTA over the sterile loneliness and claustrophobia of suburban roadways any day. —Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026

Between the flashbacks and claustrophobia, anxiety is high this episode. —The Editors, Vulture, 22 May 2026

The desire for immortality is really a desire for liberation from the claustrophobia of our own minds, not a physiological discovery about how to keep our bodies running longer. —Literary Hub, 21 May 2026

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