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

The traditional model of a psychopathic mind focuses on meanness and disinhibition.

From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 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

She said: "You have the anonymity and you have the disinhibition effect. This platform provides you with the playground to do anything you want."

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2022