repressed

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

1

: subjected to or marked by repression

2

: characterized by restraint

Synonyms

• muted
• restrained
• subdued
• quiet
• conservative

Examples of repressed in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Comedian Alex Edelman plays Adam, a repressed father of four. —Judy Berman, Time, 3 Sep. 2025

Only in this case, the repressed figure at the movie’s center also happens to be the president of Italy. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process was built on illusory hope; when the process collapsed, the hope was swept away and a repressed past came to the fore. —Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025

Over the course of one fateful night, repressed desires and buried secrets boil to the surface, pulling everyone in her orbit into a storm of passion, betrayal, and manipulation. —Okla Jones, Essence, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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