repress
repress
Definition
re·press (ri pres′)
transitive verb
- to keep down or hold back; restrain to repress a sigh
- to put down; subdue
- to control so strictly or severely as to prevent the natural development or expression of to repress a child
- Psychiatry
- to force (ideas, impulses, etc. painful to the conscious mind) into the unconscious
- to prevent (unconscious ideas, impulses, etc.) from reaching the level of consciousness
Etymology: ME repressen < L repressus, pp. of reprimere: see re- & press
re·press′·ible adjective
re·pres′·sive adjective
re·pres′·sively adverb
re·pres′·sive·ness noun
repress
Synonyms
repress
Usage Examples
Object
- dissent: Actual war economies typically cite a greater public good when they repress dissent and debate.
- transcription: He further described how loss of hMLH1 expression is associated with methylation of the gene promoter repressing hMLH1 gene transcription.
- revolt: Finally, internal measure: as we have seen, using troops to repress a revolt always posed a risk of excess.
- tendency: At another point there's a very faint suggestion that he may be repressing a tendency toward men.
- emotion: Do you think men feel they must keep their emotions repressed?
- opposition: For over 20 years he has maintained control by rigging elections and referendums, savagely repressing all opposition and running a tame national media.
Subject
- society: Australian Ledger produces a brilliant performance as a tormented soul repressed by a homophobic society.
Adjective complement
- unconscious: Other things we might actively avoid attending to because we find them painful or disturbing - the repressed unconscious.
Modifying Another Word
- brutally: Saddam Hussein is a vicious dictator who was brutally repressed the Iraqi people.
- violently: Any attempt to organize was brutally and violently repressed.
- sexually: He claimed of the Brothers: " They were very sexually repressed.
- emotionally: The man in was quiet, hard working, and at that time, emotionally repressed.
- heavily: Brazilâs Workers Party government has been tainted by corruption allegations, and has heavily repressed movements like the Sem Terra, of landless peasants.
- often: At independence, the winners assured the reins of political power, while the losers were often repressed, imprisoned or silenced.
Preposition: for
- year: After the later rebellion in support of ' Bonnie Prince Charlie ' in 1745 the area was seriously repressed for some 40 years.
Preposition: by
- society: Australian Ledger produces a brilliant performance as a tormented soul repressed by a homophobic society.
Browse dictionary entries near repress
- representing
- represented
- representative
- representationalism
- representational
- representation
- represent
- reprehension
- reprehensible
- reprehend
- repressed
- repression
- repressive
- repressor
- reprieve
- reprimand
- reprint
- reprisal
- reprise
- repro
