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

My book is a novel about memory, about a character whose repressed memories of childhood are gradually returning for better or for worse. —Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025

Though beloved by many straight men for the wrong reasons, the central character in American Psycho — a movie directed by a woman, written by a woman, and based on a novel written by a gay man — has always been paradigmatic of repressed same-sex desire. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025

Also, give your shadow self a hug and tend to the repressed parts of your heart and nature. —Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 18 Sep. 2025

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