How to Use claustrophobic in a Sentence

claustrophobic

adjective
  • The theater can be a little claustrophobic when it's full.
  • She doesn't go in elevators because she is claustrophobic.
  • The space is tiny and busy but not in a claustrophobic sort of way.
    — Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 11 Apr. 2024
  • Much of the episode takes place on board that claustrophobic train.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 June 2025
  • And that’s where the book leaves them, trapped in that claustrophobic space.
    — Richard Russo, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2022
  • The frame is four-by-three, which means it’s meant to feel more claustrophobic.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
  • The low ceiling on its top floor felt at once claustrophobic and safe.
    — Isha Marathe, Bon Appétit, 22 Dec. 2022
  • More often than not, her scenes feel too claustrophobic to linger on.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 19 May 2025
  • Others likened the claustrophobic plan for the dorm rooms to prison cells.
    — NBC News, 3 Nov. 2021
  • Still, no one disputes that wide-body planes feel less claustrophobic.
    — Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2019
  • The expanse of the ocean and sky makes the gloomy apartment seem even more claustrophobic.
    — Vulture, 8 Nov. 2022
  • The trailer was dim and claustrophobic, though Rush took care to keep it clean.
    — Alexis Okeowo, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2020
  • The claustrophobic feeling may still be there, though, and not just because of the fans.
    — Jeff Greer, The Courier-Journal, 20 Feb. 2018
  • Madden had a fear of flying and felt claustrophobic in planes.
    — Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2021
  • The atmosphere is tight, hot, claustrophobic—sweat on the back of your neck.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE.com, 8 Sep. 2021
  • The action is more claustrophobic than most entries on this list.
    — Ian Stokes, Space.com, 26 Nov. 2025
  • The clothes and fashion freed them from the claustrophobic clothes from before.
    — Vogue, 5 Apr. 2019
  • Through the claustrophobic conifers, granite peaks loomed in the wide open beyond.
    — Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Sticking to one light color is an easy way to make a small bedroom feel less claustrophobic.
    — Kelsey Mulvey, ELLE Decor, 6 Dec. 2022
  • The film aims to blend claustrophobic tension with dark humor.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
  • To me, the score sounds very claustrophobic, like how teenagers can’t always see over the wall of their own emotions.
    — New York Times, 14 Mar. 2022
  • Most of the show seems to be shot on a claustrophobic soundstage—Julio doesn’t see the sky or feel the sun.
    — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 19 July 2024
  • Even a little bit bigger, so games feel less claustrophobic and with less ugly bezel.
    — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 1 June 2026
  • Bedlam ensues, some of which should come with a mild warning for those who are claustrophobic.
    — Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2022
  • One misstep, though, sends him back to Square 1 in this claustrophobic tale.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
  • The artist is no stranger to long stays inside unusual and claustrophobic places.
    — Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024
  • The cave is a maze of vertical shafts, deadly freefall pits and claustrophobic squeezes.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
  • His ability to get open in a phone booth is a lifeline for an offense that feels claustrophobic.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 12 Oct. 2019
  • And if Fisker adds a third row, the roll-down rear quarter-windows will help make that less claustrophobic.
    — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 25 Sep. 2020
  • Not for the claustrophobic, entrance to the cave is unmarked, in the ground and only a couple of feet wide.
    — Abid Haque, GQ, 17 Aug. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'claustrophobic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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