inhibited

American  

[in-hib-i-tid] / ɪnˈhɪb ɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. overly restrained.

2. Psychology. exhibiting inhibition.

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Other Word Forms

• overinhibited adjective
• semi-inhibited adjective

Etymology

Origin of inhibited

First recorded in 1960–65; inhibit + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If something is inhibited it's held back or kept from doing something. An inhibited infection is kept from spreading, possibly by antibiotics. We often use the word inhibited to describe someone’s behavior, especially if that person is self-conscious about doing something, but it also describes the simple fact of being restrained. If you washed your pants in hot water and they shrank and you could just barely squeeze them on, your movement would be inhibited. The Latin root of inhibited is inhibere, "to hold in or hold back."

Example Sentences

The US State Department said last year that "official complicity, including at senior levels, inhibited effective law enforcement action against trafficking crimes" in Cambodia.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“It was an odd pairing: Harold Macmillan, the inhibited, repressed publisher’s son, and Bob Boothby, the warm, witty progeny of an Edinburgh banker,” writes Lynne Olson.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

BBC Sport looks at the factors that inhibited one of England's most talented group of players.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2025

For example, at Bluebonnet, people’s limited access to correspondence and other mail has inhibited their ability to correspond with their families and legal teams to defend themselves.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2025

At night, by some chemical process unknown to me but obviously inhibited by sunlight, the predatory algae turned highly acidic and the ponds became vats of acid that digested the fish.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel