inhibition

American  

[in-i-bish-uhn, in-hi-] / ˌɪn ɪˈbɪʃ ən, ˌɪn hɪ- /

noun

• inhibitions
  plural

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.

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inhibition British  

/ 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

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inhibition Scientific  

/ ĭn′hə-bĭsh′ən /

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

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inhibition Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interinhibition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inhibitions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of inhibition

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

Explanation

When you have inhibitions, you're self-conscious and maybe a little anxious. A shy child at a birthday party might have fun only after abandoning her inhibitions and joining a game of musical chairs. An inhibition is a force that prevents something from happening—and often comes from you yourself. Shy people are often said to suffer from inhibitions. Some inhibitions are good, such as the one that prevents us from choking the life out of people we dislike. Other inhibitions, like the ones that prevent someone from ever enjoying himself, are not so great.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inhibition inhibitions

Even Sigmund Freud’s conception of a wild, uninhibited id struggling against the superego was influenced by the emerging discipline of brain science—specifically, the Scottish neurologist and psychologist David Ferrier’s theory of inhibition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

It added that more people treated with ziltivekimab had serious infections, but that was consistent with aiming for IL-6 inhibition.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

“I can be more daring in English. I can say the words or verbalize the thoughts with much less inhibition, because I am not as emotionally attached,” he explains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Although fructose and glucose produced similar short-term effects on food intake, the mice eventually developed preferences that corresponded to the degree of AgRP neuron inhibition triggered by each sugar.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

The students have shared their life experiences freely, without inhibition.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Then there’s shame and disgust, the inhibitions that nature uses to turn humans into social beings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

He told The Times that his career in the editorial world encouraged him to move past certain creative inhibitions, which would later serve him in filmmaking, specifically for “Bonnie and Clyde.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025

"All the inhibitions are gone, they put on the costume and become a big, bright character. I think that's a large appeal."

From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025

But she comes by that rejection of inhibitions honestly.

From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2024

Alone, with appalling abruptness, she could shed her inhibitions.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• reticence
• self-consciousness
• shyness