repressed

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

1

: subjected to or marked by repression

2

: characterized by restraint

Synonyms

• conservative
• low-key
• low-keyed
• muted
• quiet
• restrained
• sober
• subdued
• toned-down
• understated
• unflashy
• unpretentious

Examples of repressed in a Sentence

a 19th-century church in the repressed style favored by the strict religious sect

Recent Examples on the Web

But the public calls against Hamas, which has long repressed dissent and still rules the territory months into the war with Israel, were rare. —Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2025

But the scientific community disagrees about the existence of the phenomenon of repressed memory. —Gabrielle Principe, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2025

Another man may know his child better than him, and what could be worse for a repressed, overworked father? —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025

Read the full Aries Daily Horoscope Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Unearth your repressed ambitions. —USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for repressed

• acquiesced
• coalesced
• dispossessed
• manifest
• overdressed
• overstressed
• prepossessed
• reassessed
• reinvest
• repossessed
• unaddressed
• uncompressed

Kids Definition

repressed

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

1

: subjected to or marked by repression

a repressed child

2

: characterized by a keeping in check

Medical Definition

repressed

adjective

re·​pressed ri-ˈprest 

: subjected to or marked by repression

a repressed child

repressed anger