repression
noun
re·pres·sion
ri-ˈpre-shən 
1
a
: the action or process of repressing : the state of being repressed
repression of unpopular opinions
b
: an instance of repressing
racial repressions
2
a
: a mental process by which distressing thoughts, memories, or impulses that may give rise to anxiety are excluded from consciousness and left to operate in the unconscious
b
: an item so excluded
Examples of repression in a Sentence
the state's repression of its citizens
They survived 60 years of political repression.
Recent Examples on the Web
The distraction does not eliminate the need for state repression.
—
Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Russia’s culture ministry, alongside law enforcement agencies, is strictly enforcing these guidelines, merging its own cultural institutions into the country’s already mighty propaganda and repression machines.
—Yegor Mostovshikov, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025
This will raise concerns about prisoners in Russia facing further torture and repressions without scrutiny.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Officials were dismissed in waves even from the very source of repression—the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs—as new commissars arrived to replace them.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for repression
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Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Russia’s culture ministry, alongside law enforcement agencies, is strictly enforcing these guidelines, merging its own cultural institutions into the country’s already mighty propaganda and repression machines.
—Yegor Mostovshikov, The Dial, 9 Sep. 2025
This will raise concerns about prisoners in Russia facing further torture and repressions without scrutiny.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Officials were dismissed in waves even from the very source of repression—the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs—as new commissars arrived to replace them.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for repression
Cite this Entry
“Repression.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repression. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
repression
noun
re·pres·sion
ri-ˈpresh-ən
1
: the act of repressing : the state of being repressed
2
: a process of the mind by which painful or disturbing thoughts or desires are kept from conscious awareness
Medical Definition
repression
noun
re·pres·sion
ri-ˈpresh-ən
1
: the action or process of repressing
gene repression
2
a
: a process by which unacceptable desires or impulses are excluded from consciousness and left to operate in the unconscious compare suppression sense c
b
: an item so excluded
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