pent-up

American  

[pent-uhp] / ˈpɛntˈʌp /

adjective

1. not vented or expressed; held inside; restrained; curbed.

   pent-up emotions;

   pent-up rage.

   Synonyms:

   suppressed, repressed, confined

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pent-up British  

adjective

1. not released; repressed

   pent-up emotions

2. kept unwillingly

   I've been pent up in this office for over a year

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Usage

What does pent-up mean? Pent-up is used to describe something that is repressed or not expressed, such as feelings, as in Tina had a lot of pent-up anger over her parents’ divorce that she did not know how to express.Pent-up also describes something that has not been vented, like a gas, which causes pressure to build, as in Tremors release pent-up energy beneath the earth’s crust.Example: All this pent-up anger is bad for your mental health.

Etymology

Origin of pent-up

First recorded in 1705–15; adjective use of verb phrase pent up

Example Sentences

Higher inflation in Germany would hit consumer spending, the institutes said, weighing on an already weak economy that has barely grown since a burst of pent-up demand after the Covid pandemic in 2022.

From Barron's

Inside, I’m greeted with the tired smell of old, pent-up, sick-people air, combined with the acrid smell of too much antiseptic.

From Literature

That was driven in part by pent-up demand to replace aging infrastructure and meet state-driven renewable energy mandates, the research firm noted.

From The Wall Street Journal

Construction of warehouses exploded during the pandemic, boosted by pent-up demand for consumer goods and the growth of same-day delivery services from e-commerce companies like Amazon.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Federal Reserve is expected to cut its target rate by 0.5 percentage points, with pent-up demand after three years of sluggish sales.

From Barron's

Related Words

• repressed
• stifled
• suppressed