inhibition

[in-i-bish-uhn, in-hi-]

noun

1. the act of inhibiting.

2. the state of being inhibited.

3. something that inhibits; constraint.

4. Psychology.

   1. the blocking or holding back of one psychological process by another.

   2. inappropriate conscious or unconscious restraint or suppression of behavior, as sexual behavior, often due to guilt or fear produced by past punishment, or sometimes considered a dispositional trait.

5. Physiology.

   1. a restraining, arresting, or checking of the action of an organ or cell.

   2. the reduction of a reflex or other activity as the result of an antagonistic stimulation.

   3. a state created at synapses making them less excitable by other sources of stimulation.

6. Chemistry.,  a stoppage or decrease in the rate of action of a chemical reaction.

7. English Ecclesiastical Law.,  an order, especially from a bishop, suspending a priest or an incumbent from the performance of duties.

inhibition

/ ˌɪnɪˈbɪʃən, ˌɪnhɪ- /

noun

1. the act of inhibiting or the condition of being inhibited

2. psychol

   1. a mental state or condition in which the varieties of expression and behaviour of an individual become restricted

   2. the weakening of a learned response usually as a result of extinction or because of the presence of a distracting stimulus

   3. (in psychoanalytical theory) the unconscious restraining of an impulse See also repression

3. the process of stopping or retarding a chemical reaction

4. physiol the suppression of the function or action of an organ or part, as by stimulation of its nerve supply

5. Church of England an episcopal order suspending an incumbent

inhibition

1. The blocking or limiting of the activity of an organ, tissue, or cell of the body, caused by the action of a nerve or neuron or by the release of a substance such as a hormone or neurotransmitter.

2. Compare excitation

inhibition

1. A personal hindrance to activity or expression. For example, fear of contracting cancer might serve as an inhibition against smoking.

Other Word Forms

• interinhibition noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inhibition¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English inhibicio(u)n, from Latin inhibitiōn-, stem of inhibitiō “prevention, restraint”; equivalent to inhibit + -ion

Example Sentences

With a start, I realize that this garden is killing my inhibitions and judgment.

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He concludes his account with the most radical abolitionist of all, John Brown, who had little patience for the inhibitions of the Bostonians.

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The idea is that sweat puts everyone on the same level, lowering inhibitions and making it easier to forge relationships.

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He was also notable as a recruiter of aimless youths who wanted to be tough guys; for them the Nazi Storm Trooper units were the place to cast off the shackles of civilized inhibitions.

Read more on Salon

Launched in 1988, Whale's live, often chaotic programme was like a daytime TV format gone rogue: one which had lost its inhibitions and any qualms about upholding the usual standards of taste and decency.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• reticence 
• self-consciousness www.thesaurus.com
• shyness www.thesaurus.com