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
Mac's deeply closeted, Catholic-guilty homosexuality had been treated as a joke throughout the show's run, with the joke never truly being about Mac being gay, but about how his desperate repression had twisted him into a caricature of grasping masculinity.
—
Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 2025
The costs of academic repression, in other words, are not confined to elite institutions—they are borne by everyone.
—Matt Motta, Scientific American, 10 July 2025
In recent weeks, authorities have detained economists, analysts and digital platform operators who publish independent financial data, intensifying a campaign of repression aimed at concealing Venezuela’s worsening economic crisis.
—Antonio Maria Delgado
july 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
Yet, with Iran reeling from recent attacks and Khamenei in hiding, the aging leader may intensify repression to preserve the revolution’s conservative ideals.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for repression
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Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 2025
The costs of academic repression, in other words, are not confined to elite institutions—they are borne by everyone.
—Matt Motta, Scientific American, 10 July 2025
In recent weeks, authorities have detained economists, analysts and digital platform operators who publish independent financial data, intensifying a campaign of repression aimed at concealing Venezuela’s worsening economic crisis.
—Antonio Maria Delgado
july 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
Yet, with Iran reeling from recent attacks and Khamenei in hiding, the aging leader may intensify repression to preserve the revolution’s conservative ideals.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 June 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 Jul. 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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