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.
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
Even without a significant decline in rates, economists expect the housing market to eventually pick up due to pent-up demand, with many homeowners having delayed moving for multiple years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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
But Long added: "The good news is there is strong pent-up demand for homebuying."
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
All I can feel is judgment, not the freedom I was expecting, the release of all this pent-up breath.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
