pent-up
Americanadjective
adjective
-
not released; repressed
pent-up emotions
-
kept unwillingly
I've been pent up in this office for over a year
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
Explanation
If something's pent-up, it's restricted or held back in some way. You might appear calm and collected, but if you've secretly got a lot of pent-up anger, it will eventually need to be released. Boom! Use the adjective pent-up when you're talking about repressed emotions or stifled feelings or impulses. You and your friend might attempt to remain solemn through a pompous speaker's terrible lecture, only to burst out with pent-up laughter as soon as the talk is over. Many people keep negative feelings (like sadness, anger, or frustration) pent-up when they're not comfortable revealing them.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The pent-up demand for housing has caused some potential home buyers to lose patience, even with high mortgage rates and an uncertain economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
"We have so much pent-up demand in the Philippines," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Composer Yuta Bandoh’s lovely score hints at Otone and Kensuke’s pent-up sorrow, even after Kakeru is returned to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The TV variation of Max Cady is where the classic prestige drama Difficult Man shakes hands with a manosphere cultist’s pent-up aggression.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Father said that when I am angry I become full of pent-up emotion, the same way the boiler on a locomotive becomes full of steam.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
