claustrophobia

[ klaw-struh-foh-bee-uh ]
See synonyms for claustrophobia on Thesaurus.com
nounPsychiatry.
  1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of being in small or confined places and being unable to escape.

Origin of claustrophobia

1
First recorded in 1875–80; from Latin claustr(um) “bolt” + -o- + -phobia;see claustrum

Other words from claustrophobia

  • claus·tro·pho·bic, adjective, noun

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British Dictionary definitions for claustrophobia

claustrophobia

/ (ˌklɔːstrəˈfəʊbɪə, ˌklɒs-) /


noun
  1. an abnormal fear of being closed in or of being in a confined space

Origin of claustrophobia

1
C19: from claustro-, from Latin claustrum cloister + -phobia

Derived forms of claustrophobia

  • claustrophobe, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for claustrophobia

claustrophobia

[ (klaw-struh-foh-bee-uh) ]


An abnormal fear of being shut in or enclosed.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.