claustrophobia

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌklɔː.strəˈfoʊ.bi.ə/ UK /ˌklɒs.trəˈfəʊ.bi.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #30421

Meanings

1

noun
A strong fear of being in small, closed, or crowded spaces.

Her claustrophobia makes it hard for her to ride in lifts.

Thesaurus

Opposites

agoraphobia

Word family

Forms claustrophobias

Etymology

From Latin claustrum (“a shut-in place”), from Latin claudō (“to shut, close; to imprison, confine”) + -phobia. First attested in the British Medical Journal.

*(s)kleh₂w- Proto-Indo-European claustrum Latin

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# claustrophobia

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌklɔː.strəˈfoʊ.bi.ə/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌklɒs.trəˈfəʊ.bi.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 30421

## Meanings
1. A strong fear of being in small, closed, or crowded spaces.

## Examples
- Her claustrophobia makes it hard for her to ride in lifts.

## Antonyms
- agoraphobia

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)kleh₂w-
- Root: claustrum
- Affix: -phobia - fear

## Etymology
From Latin claustrum (“a shut-in place”), from Latin claudō (“to shut, close; to imprison, confine”) + -phobia. First attested in the British Medical Journal.

## AI Etymology
Claustrophobia is from Latin claustrum (“a shut-in place”), from Latin claudō (“to shut, close; to imprison, confine”) + -phobia. First attested in the British Medical Journal. Important historical forms include Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh₂w-, and Latin claustrum. In present-day use, it means a strong fear of being in small, closed, or crowded spaces.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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claustrophobia

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