disinhibition

American  

[dis-in-i-bish-uhn, -in-hi-, dis-in-] / dɪsˌɪn ɪˈbɪʃ ən, -ˌɪn hɪ-, ˌdɪs ɪn- /

noun

1. Psychology. a temporary loss of inhibition caused by an outside stimulus.

2. Chemistry. removal of an inhibitor.

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disinhibition British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnɪˈbɪʃən, -ɪnhɪ- /

noun

1. psychol a temporary loss of inhibition, caused by an outside stimulus such as alcohol or a drug

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Etymology

Origin of disinhibition

First recorded in 1925–30; dis- ¹ + inhibition

Example Sentences

The American people appear to be vacillating between learned helplessness and mass disinhibition.

From Salon • May 1, 2025

Some scientists have proposed that the FTD artist benefits from the combination of behavioral disinhibition and repetitive practice.

From Scientific American • May 26, 2023

She is the research director of Take This, a non-profit focused on mental health and gaming, and says that desire to impress along with the "online disinhibition effect" can be a toxic combination.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2023

“Depending on a person’s mental health concerns, artificially increasing their disinhibition in a group setting might not necessarily be a good thing.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2023

“There’s just so much online aggression — aggression because of online disinhibition and the ways that we forget there’s another human being on the other end of the screen.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2022