repression — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The act of repressing; state of being repressed.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   History shows that when governments fear the truth and increase repression, their days are limited.

   The most powerful educative force in the new society was, however, the system of police repression.

2. The involuntary rejection from consciousness of painful or disagreeable ideas, memories, feelings, or impulses.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Noun

1. a state of forcible subjugation

   Broader terms

   subjugationsubjection

   Examples

   the long repression of Christian sects

2. (psychiatry) the classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or ideas that would cause anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious

   Broader terms

   defense mechanismdefense reactiondefence mechanismdefence reactiondefensedefence

3. the act of repressing; control by holding down

   Broader terms

   control

   Examples

   his goal was the repression of insolence