claustrophobia
noun
claus·tro·pho·bia
| \ ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə
\
\
Definition of claustrophobia
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
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from claustrophobia
claustrophobe
\ ˈklȯ-strə-ˌfōb
\
noun
\
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
Coincidentally, Campbell would often complain about suffering from claustrophobia, too, hating being contained within small places and increasingly thinking about home. — Longreads, "The Story of Country Music’s Great Songwriting Duo," 3 Sep. 2019 That certainly places the voter between a rock and a hard place, but sometimes big thinking results in such financial claustrophobia. — Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, "Soucheray: There’s a price for all this big thinking," 31 Aug. 2019 Martone skillfully breaks out the play into a number of vivid locations, eliminating any sense of claustrophobia. — Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Mayor of Rione Sanita' ('Il sindaco di Rione Sanita'): Film Review | Venice 2019," 30 Aug. 2019 The jazz sounds of The Antique Blacks Suite, Pt. 1-3 by Sun Ra and his Arkestra plays from the speaker and the sound adds to the feeling of claustrophobia while sitting inside the sculpture. — Dallas News, "A Dallas art gallery examines identity in 'How It Looks To Be You In Egyptian Cotton'," 23 Aug. 2019 But Her Story was tight and focused to the point of practical claustrophobia; every scene involved one actress whose character was interrogated in a single, mostly empty room over the course of a few in-game days. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Telling Lies takes an intimate, expansive view of interactive storytelling," 23 Aug. 2019 Except for a few scenes, most of the movie takes place in the forest, feeding a subconscious sense of claustrophobia. — Travis Deshong, chicagotribune.com, "‘Them That Follow’ review: A pastor’s daughter reveals a secret that wreaks havoc on congregation," 10 Aug. 2019 This claustrophobia-inducing habitat is no match for Randall’s drive. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "Steve Irwin's Apprentice Jack Randall Crawls Through Narrow Cave With 12-Foot Python," 3 July 2019 So, more specifically, claustrophobia, panic and that type of thing. — Alvin Chang, Vox, "Every time Ford and Kavanaugh answered the question — and didn't answer the question," 28 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'claustrophobia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for claustrophobia
claustrophobia
noun
English Language Learners Definition of claustrophobia
: a fear of being in closed or small spaces
: an unhappy or uncomfortable feeling caused by being in a situation that limits or restricts you
See the full definition for claustrophobia in the English Language Learners Dictionary
claustrophobia
noun
claus·tro·pho·bia
| \ ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə
\
\
Medical Definition of claustrophobia
: abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces