repressed
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of repressed
Explanation
If something is repressed, it's restrained or held in. You may be full of repressed anger toward your brother over that terrifying incident from four years ago involving the frog and your hooded sweatshirt... The adjective repressed often describes emotions, desires, or memories, especially those that are embarrassing, shameful, or scary. When an emotion is repressed, it's held inside so that you don’t have to show how you feel — or even admit to yourself how you feel. In fact, repressed emotions are those feelings that you unconsciously avoid. For example, you might not realize that you have a repressed longing for that last piece of birthday cake in the pantry. A person who has many pent-up feelings is generally said to be repressed.
Vocabulary lists containing repressed
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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President Obama's Speech at the United Nations
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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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.
But when Jamie Bell was cast as Niall, the gentler, more repressed character of the duo, he persuaded Gadd to take the role.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
By convention, a Shiite Muslim has been prime minister since the fall of Saddam, who ruthlessly repressed the Shiite majority in Iraq.
From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026
The critic James Wood decried Mr. Barnes as “a thoroughly English writer,” meaning that he is clever and pedantic and emotionally repressed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Not all of Alexander’s theories have aged well, Gilberg said — repressed emotions do not cause asthma, to name one since-debunked idea.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026
It was as though she had spoken words that were forbidden, words that she had hidden within herself for a long time and now would be repressed no longer.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
