agoraphobia

[ ag-er-uh-foh-bee-uh ]

/ ˌæg ər əˈfoʊ bi ə /

noun Psychiatry.

an abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks.

Nearby words

agony, agony aunt, agony column, agony uncle, agora, agoraphobia, agoraphobic, agostini, agostino di duccio, agouta, agouti

Origin of agoraphobia

First recorded in 1870–75; agora¹ + -phobia

Can be confusedacrophobia agoraphobia claustrophobia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for agoraphobia

It talks about her agoraphobia and her diabetes, as well as her recent court testimony, all without judgment or venom.
Paula Deen, Comic Book Hero?|Tricia Romano|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I put down her immunity to agoraphobia as just another evidence that she was already mad.
Greener Than You Think|Ward Moore
Agoraphobia, for instance, is the fear of crossing an open place.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
Glare-blindness, gravity-legs, and agoraphobia were excuses for a lot of things, when a man was just back from Big Bottomless.
The Hoofer|Walter M. Miller

In the Moon's slight gravity, a man is really adjusted to existence when he has a well-developed case of agoraphobia.
Scrimshaw|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
The sufferer from agoraphobia cannot bring himself to cross alone an open field or square.
Why Worry?|George Lincoln Walton, M.D.

British Dictionary definitions for agoraphobia

agoraphobia

/ (ˌæɡərəˈfəʊbɪə) /

noun

a pathological fear of being in public places, often resulting in the sufferer becoming housebound

Derived Formsagoraphobic, adjective, 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

Word Origin and History for agoraphobia

agoraphobia

"fear of open spaces," 1873, from German Agorophobie, coined 1871 by Berlin psychiatrist Carl Westphal (1833-1890) from Greek agora "open space" (see agora) + -phobia "fear." Related: Agoraphobe; agoraphobic.

Medicine definitions for agoraphobia

agoraphobia

[ ăg′ər-ə-fō′bē-ə ]

n.

Phobia of open or public places.

Related formsag′o•ra•pho′bic adj.