Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for repressed on Thesaurus.com subjected to, affected by, or characteristic of psychological repression : repressed emotional conflicts. Show More
Origin of repressed First recorded in
1900–05; repress +
-ed2 Related forms non·re·pressed , adjective un·re·pressed , adjective verb (used with or without object) to press again or anew. Show More
Origin of re-press First recorded in
1870–75; re- +
press1 to keep under control, check, or suppress (desires, feelings, actions, tears, etc.). to keep down or suppress (anything objectionable). to put down or quell (sedition, disorder, etc.). to reduce (persons) to subjection. Psychoanalysis to reject (painful or disagreeable ideas, memories, feelings, or impulses) from the conscious mind. Show More
verb (used without object) to initiate or undergo repression . Show More
Origin of repress 1325–75; Middle English repressen <
Latin repressus (past participle of
reprimere ), equivalent to
re- re- +
pressus, past participle of
primere to
press1 Related forms re·press·i·ble , adjective non·re·press·i·ble , adjective non·re·press·i·ble·ness , noun non·re·press·i·bly , adverb o·ver·re·press , verb (used with object) un·re·press·i·ble , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for repressed inhibit ,
subdue ,
suppress ,
crush ,
quell ,
quash ,
restrain ,
muffle ,
squelch ,
subjugate ,
stifle ,
control ,
hinder ,
kill ,
compose ,
chasten ,
lock ,
smother ,
shush ,
cork Examples from the Web for repressed Contemporary Examples of repressed Not to mention the core Christian idea that sexuality is, itself, a necessary evil, and something that must be repressed .
This inner world, as Freud and others had previously suggested, was a fiction of repressed fantasies, dreams, and visions.
The characters in Downton and in that time period are often quite reserved and their emotions are repressed .
Repressed anger is one of the key dimensions to this struggle.
This struggle is for those who have been repressed , this struggle is for those who are imprisoned.
Historical Examples of repressed Grant repressed an impulse to shout, and used the breath for an extra burst of speed.
She was exactly the same as when they had parted, just as handsome, just as scornful, just as repressed .
His breathing was a little quickened; but he repressed all other signs of agitation.
But Rawson knew that that slim body was tense with repressed emotion.
Imagine “swell up” from Sandford, the repressed and decorous!
British Dictionary definitions for repressed (of a person) repressing feelings, instincts, desires, etc Show More
to keep (feelings, etc) under control; suppress or restrain to repress a desire to put into a state of subjugation to repress a people psychoanal to banish (thoughts and impulses that conflict with conventional standards of conduct) from one's conscious mind Show More
Derived Forms represser , noun repressible , adjective Word Origin for repress C14: from Latin reprimere to press back, from re- + premere to press 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for repressed adj. 1660s, past participle adjective from repress (v.). Psychological sense by 1904.
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v. late 14c., "to check, restrain," from Latin repressus , past participle of reprimere "hold back, curb," figuratively "check, confine, restrain, refrain," from re- "back" (see re- ) + premere "to push" (see press (v.1)).
Used of feelings or desires from late 14c.; in the purely psychological sense, it represents German verdrängen (Freud, 1893), first attested 1904 (implied in repressed ). Meaning "to put down" (a rebellion, etc.) is from late 15c. Related: Repressed ; repressing .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Being subjected to or characterized by repression. Show More
To hold back by an act of volition. To exclude something from the conscious mind. Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
