suppression

noun

sup·​pres·​sion sə-ˈpre-shən 

1

: an act or instance of suppressing : the state of being suppressed

2

: the conscious intentional exclusion from consciousness of a thought or feeling

Synonyms of suppression

• restraint
• repression
• discipline
• inhibition

Examples of suppression in a Sentence

learned that suppression of her angry feelings didn't necessarily make them go away

Recent Examples on the Web

Krishnan rightly points out that actively suppressing language ought to be condemned, but that suppression and obsolescence are wholly different. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

These range from improved mood and cognitive function to appetite suppression and reduced symptoms of PMS. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Those conditions include cancer, liver disease, HIV, thalassemia and those receiving immune-suppression treatments. — Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Decades of political repression followed, including the demolition of some Buddhist monasteries and the suppression of all forms of political or cultural expression outside Communist Party control. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for suppression

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

Medical Definition

suppression

noun

sup·​pres·​sion sə-ˈpresh-ən 

: an act or instance of suppressing: as

a

: stoppage of a bodily function or a symptom

suppression of urine secretion

suppression of a cough

b

: the failure of development of a bodily part or organ

c

: the conscious intentional exclusion from consciousness of a thought or feeling compare repression sense 2a