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

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a group that focuses on reporting repressions in Iran, over 6,000 have been confirmed dead and over 17,000 deaths are under investigation. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026

That movement was brutally crushed in mid-January in arguably the worst act of repression the country has witnessed since the 1979 revolution and its post-revolution purges. —Alexander Langlois, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026

There are ideas here about class, about family, about desire and repression and money and patriarchy and freedom. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2026

Yet even with this long history of violence, neither those who watched from afar nor those who took to the streets anticipated repression on this scale. —Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 15 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