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

repressionist

ri-ˈpre-sh(ə-)nist 

adjective

Synonyms of repression

• restraint
• discipline
• suppression
• inhibition

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

As the streets of Lagos begin to roil with protest and repression, Folarin rushes to get his sons out of the city and to safety. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026

Students founded the Otpor movement in Serbia in 1998 to resist the regime’s repression of universities. —Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026

Outraged by decades of repression, people took to the streets demanding fundamental change, respect for human rights and dignity and calling for an end to the Islamic Republic system. —Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026

The Haitian immigrant, along with hundreds of thousands of others in the past decade, fled his home country to escape violence and repression. —Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for repression

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression

Kids 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