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I'm intrigued by a hybrid of "agoraphobia" (which would be more accurately referred to as "kenophobia") and "claustrophobia," described by H. P. Lovecraft like this:

Of the celebrated "phobias" of the modern psychologists (or of things like them) I have only one; & that, amusingly enough, is one I have never seen cited or named. Probably it has a name & record, but my very superficial knowledge of psychology (a subject which fails to fascinate me greatly, despite its grotesque fictional possibilities) does not include any glimpse of it. I know about claustrophobia & agoraphobia, but I have neither. I have, however, a cross betwixt the two—in the form of a distinct fear of very large enclosed spaces. The dark carriage-room of a stable—the shadowy interior of a deserted gas-house—an empty assembly-room or theatre-auditorium—a large cave—you can probably get the idea.

So, is there a word for this? A word ending in -phobia that means "fear of very large enclosed spaces"?

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    Wasn't Lovecraft all about nameless dreads?
    – Stuart F
    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 1:22
  • 2
    This seems akin to a request about what to call the shortest giant in the world.
    – Robusto
    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 2:32
  • I would have coined atriophobia from Latin atrium akin to claustrophobia from Latin claustrum.
    – ermanen
    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 20:07
  • Agoraphobia isn't actually a fear of wide open spaces per se; see this article from the Mayo Clinic.
    – alphabet
    Commented Aug 31, 2023 at 14:56

2 Answers 2

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There is no authentic scientific term for this as yet. It certainly cannot be labeled (the seemingly similar phobia-) Altocelarophobia, which is a fear specifically of high ceilings:

A fear of high ceilings, also known as altocelarophobia, is far more common than we would first expect and many people say that they feel insignificant in such a place or that they are going to float up and away.

The phobic sensation- the fear of floating away- would be unique to a high ceiling and thus could not apply to a general fear of large places.

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Altocelarophobia is the fear of tall ceilings, and large enclosed rooms. It's latin roots are alto (high) and (i think) caelum, which is sky (or ceiling)

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    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 0:06
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    Usually phobias use Greek roots. Surely Greek has words for high ceilings.
    – siride
    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 0:40
  • ...claustrophobia notwithstanding
    – siride
    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 0:41
  • @siride Not so according to the British NHS which defines it as "an irrational fear of confined spaces" which the OP says they do not suffer from. A large enclosed space is not a confined space although it may contain confined spaces, a large railway station will contain lifts, toilets, train carriages and small offices but there is little or no constraint on the movement of a person in the wider space. It is closer to agorophobia but the space is not open. It genuinely is a third condition in my opinion.
    – BoldBen
    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 15:37
  • @BoldBen I was just talking about roots.
    – siride
    Commented Feb 6, 2022 at 16:10

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