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Glite Dictionary
claustrophobe

claustrophobe

1 7.7
A person who is afraid of small or closed spaces
  • noun
  • /ˌklɔːstrəˈfoʊb/
translation icon : claustrofóbico
  • As a claustrophobe, she felt anxious in the crowded subway.

Examples

  • My friend, who is a claustrophobe, panicked when we entered the small cave.

  • I will be like a claustrophobe in a very unfortunate boat.

    Blog text (12)

  • He is a claustrophobe and avoids elevators whenever possible.

Surface Forms

claustrophobe singular
claustrophobes plural

Morphology

claustrophobe = claustro + phobe

This is a specialized classical formation built from claustro- and -phobe, but the components are not transparent enough for an average learner to infer the meaning reliably.

Etymology

The word claustrophobe comes from two parts: claustro- from Latin meaning 'closed' or 'enclosed', like in the word closet, and -phobe from Greek phobia meaning 'fear'. So a claustrophobe is someone who is afraid of small or closed spaces.