repressed

1 of 2

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

1

: subjected to or marked by repression

2

: characterized by restraint

repressed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of repress

Synonyms of repressed

Adjective

• muted
• restrained
• subdued
• quiet
• conservative

Examples of repressed in a Sentence

Adjective

a 19th-century church in the repressed style favored by the strict religious sect

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Thankfully, Joey King brings her A-game as Kylie, a young woman feeling a flood of emotions, amplified by untrained magical abilities, that her repressed mother hasn’t prepared her to handle. — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

And that has much to do with Schrader’s portrayal of repressed homosexual life. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026

As opposed to infantile regression, the oceanic feeling can also be understood as a means of recapturing a repressed sense of relation, connection, affinities. — George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Sigmund Freud wrote that dreams were a kind of acting-out of repressed impulses. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for repressed

• acquiesced
• coalesced
• dispossessed
• manifest
• overdressed
• overstressed
• prepossessed
• reassessed
• reinvest
• repossessed
• unaddressed
• uncompressed

Kids Definition

repressed

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

1

: subjected to or marked by repression

a repressed child

2

: characterized by a keeping in check

Medical Definition

repressed

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

: subjected to or marked by repression

a repressed child

repressed anger