repressed

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

1

: subjected to or marked by repression

2

: characterized by restraint

Synonyms

• conservative
• low-key
• low-keyed
• muted
• quiet
• restrained
• sober
• subdued
• toned-down
• understated
• unflashy
• unpretentious

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

Venus in Taurus is cruising through your mysterious 12th house of beauty sleep, unconscious patterns and repressed energies, bringing hidden desires to the surface. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 June 2025

As in Freud, the footnote operates as repressed content, surfacing the crawly world around us (and sometimes inside us) that makes our own go. —Hannah Brooks-Motl june 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025

Heath Ledger, speaking in a muffled drawl, showed you that a performance could be repressed and transcendent at the same time; his reticence broke your heart. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 May 2025

The belief in repressed memories remains well entrenched among the general public and mental health professionals. —Gabrielle Principe, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 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