claustrophobic

adjective

claus·​tro·​pho·​bic ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bik 

1

: affected with or inclined to claustrophobia

2

: inducing or suggesting claustrophobia

claustrophobically

ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of claustrophobic in a Sentence

The theater can be a little claustrophobic when it's full.

She doesn't go in elevators because she is claustrophobic.

Recent Examples on the Web

The extravagant sky-high restaurant set is the perfect playground for Landon, utilizing every inch of the space to illustrate the claustrophobic horror of the date through Violet’s perspective. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025

The simulations also only modeled the formation of one star at a time, when consensus holds that the early universe was quite claustrophobic, with multiple stars forming in close proximity. —Conor Feehly, Scientific American, 4 Mar. 2025

The flood raged for nearly 20 hours, cutting off escape routes and trapping them in a claustrophobic nightmare. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025

Soderbergh nods to the #MeToo movement — Sawyer just wants to be believed, but no one will listen to her — while underlining the claustrophobic dread by shooting on an iPhone 7 Plus, which gives the images a sickly distortion. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for claustrophobic

• anaerobic
• homophobic
• hydrophobic
• aerobic
• phobic

Medical Definition

claustrophobic

1 of 2 adjective

claus·​tro·​pho·​bic ˌklȯ-strə-ˈfō-bik 

1

: suffering from or inclined to claustrophobia

2

: inducing or suggesting claustrophobia

claustrophobically

-bi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

claustrophobic

2 of 2 noun

: claustrophobe