agoraphobia

[ ag-er-uh-foh-bee-uh, uh-gawr‐ ]

nounPsychiatry.
  1. an irrational or disproportionate fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, often accompanied by anxiety attacks: In extreme cases, avoidance behaviors may render affected individuals homebound.: Compare ochlophobia.

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Origin of agoraphobia

1
First recorded in 1870–75; agora1 + -phobia

Other words from agoraphobia

  • ag·o·ra·pho·bic, adjective, noun

Words Nearby agoraphobia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use agoraphobia in a sentence

  • agoraphobia, for instance, is the fear of crossing an open place.

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

Derived forms of agoraphobia

  • agoraphobic, 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