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.
Repressed memories bubble up, secrets are revealed, but nothing is resolved.
From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2022
Repressed emotions are dangerous, but, as countless medical studies have shown, sustained anger is both physically and emotionally destructive.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2018
Repressed emotions, repressed bonds, repressed loved ones can haunt us for the rest of our lives if we decide to shut them out.
From Salon • Oct. 29, 2017
The following year, Loftus published one of her best-known books, The Myth Of Repressed Memory.
From The Guardian • Sep. 23, 2017
Repressed desire for pure science which produced more than a smattering of a great many sciences and made him a hell of an engineer.
From Breaking Point by Gunn, James E.
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.
