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
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
The following testimony, my own, is just one example of the level of repression this couple is inflicting on the entire nation, as well as on citizens from other countries.
—
Juan Sebastián Chamarro, National Review, 8 June 2025
Two of the least powerful groups threatened by the current climate of repression are public school teachers and their students, children who may never even realize what they have been kept from learning.
—Jane S. Smith, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
It was followed by seven more years of dictatorship and the brutal repression of dissent now known as the Dirty War.
—Lily Meyer, The Dial, 20 May 2025
For instance, during Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961, the head of intelligence, Johnny Abbes, was plucked from obscurity in Mexico and in 1958 began to lead the dictator’s repression machine.
—Erica Frantz, The Conversation, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for repression
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Juan Sebastián Chamarro, National Review, 8 June 2025
Two of the least powerful groups threatened by the current climate of repression are public school teachers and their students, children who may never even realize what they have been kept from learning.
—Jane S. Smith, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
It was followed by seven more years of dictatorship and the brutal repression of dissent now known as the Dirty War.
—Lily Meyer, The Dial, 20 May 2025
For instance, during Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961, the head of intelligence, Johnny Abbes, was plucked from obscurity in Mexico and in 1958 began to lead the dictator’s repression machine.
—Erica Frantz, The Conversation, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for repression
Cite this Entry
“Repression.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repression. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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