claustrophobe:

(plural: ‘claustrophobes‘; pronunciation: the letter ‘c’ is said with a ‘k’ sound as in “king”, and the letters ‘ph’ have the sound of an ‘f’ as in “foam”)

‘Phobia’ is an unknown fear of something or someone and ‘phobic’ is its adjective form.

a person who has the unknown fear of being enclosed in a small space,

(an imaginary picture showing how a claustrophobe feels)

e.g.

 

A claustrophobe does not like to be alone in a small room or in a lift (elevator).

 

Betty is a claustrophobe who doesn’t like to be alone in a lift/elevator, and Dolly is a agoraphobe who doesn’t like to be in open and public places.

 

Studies have shown that most claustrophobes suffer from some other unknown fear (phobia) or nervous disorder, for example, they do not feel comfortable when they have to look down from a tall building or they startle whenever a door bell or telephone bell rings.

For an article that shows how we come upon this word in our day-to-day life, please click here, and for another interesting but incomplete article/advertisement on a claustrophobe, please click here. And if you like to know about some of the other common phobias people usually suffer from, please click here, and for a long list of phobias, please click here.

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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