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
Barbara TritelExamples 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
Days later, doctors ordered an MRI, and Guild, whose muscular frame barely fit in the machine, feared an attack of claustrophobia.
—David W. Brown, New Yorker, 12 June 2025
Building ceilings also added to the overall feeling of claustrophobia in the series.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025
The filmmaker can explain where the sense of dread and claustrophobia comes from when watching the movie.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
As the survivors venture out and scramble back, the images oscillate between nervous claustrophobia and eerie, wide-open desolation; between the overly familiar and the radically strange.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for claustrophobia
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David W. Brown, New Yorker, 12 June 2025
Building ceilings also added to the overall feeling of claustrophobia in the series.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025
The filmmaker can explain where the sense of dread and claustrophobia comes from when watching the movie.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
As the survivors venture out and scramble back, the images oscillate between nervous claustrophobia and eerie, wide-open desolation; between the overly familiar and the radically strange.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for claustrophobia
Cite this Entry
“Claustrophobia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/claustrophobia. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
claustrophobia
noun
claus·tro·pho·bia
ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə
: abnormal fear of being in closed or narrow spaces
claustrophobic
adjective
-ˈfō-bik
Medical Definition
claustrophobia
noun
claus·tro·pho·bia
ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bē-ə
: abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces
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