Repress vs. Suppress: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Repress involves unconsciously hiding emotions or desires; suppress involves consciously attempting to stop or control something.
Key Differences
'Repress' implies that something is being held back, often without the individual's conscious awareness. This term is commonly used in psychological contexts, referring to emotions or desires being pushed out of the conscious mind. 'Suppress', however, suggests a deliberate effort to control or restrain something from being expressed or released, often through a conscious decision or action. Both terms involve a forceful action of holding back, but the level of awareness and intention distinguishes them.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
When one represses feelings, they might be unaware that they are burying these emotions, which can later manifest in various psychological ways. In contrast, when one suppresses a reaction, they are fully aware of the emotion but choose to control it or keep it from showing. 'Repress' often relates to a passive or involuntary action, while 'suppress' is active and intentional.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
The use of 'repress' is often found in the discussion of traumatic memories, where the mind automatically hides painful thoughts to protect the individual. On the other hand, 'suppress' can refer to the active effort of a person to hold back laughter or anger in a situation where displaying such emotions is deemed inappropriate. While repression is a defense mechanism, suppression serves as a coping or social strategy.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
In discussing social contexts, 'repress' can be used to describe the subjugation of groups in a way that their awareness of their oppression might be obscured or diminished over time. 'Suppress', conversely, is often used in contexts where a group or government actively and knowingly keeps another group from exercising their rights or speaking out. Repression is a psychological result of such suppression, which can be a political or social action.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
While 'repress' and 'suppress' share similarities in their implication of holding back, they are distinct in their usage. 'Repress' is about a lack of consciousness in the act, and 'suppress' is about the conscious decision to restrain. Understanding this difference is key to using each word in its proper psychological, emotional, or social context.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
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Comparison Chart
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Repress and Suppress Definitions
Repress
To hold back emotions unconsciously
He repressed his anger from childhood.
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Nov 08, 2023
Suppress
To hold back from expressing
He suppressed a yawn during the meeting.
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Nov 08, 2023
Repress
To keep under control by force of will
He had to repress the urge to argue back.
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Nov 08, 2023
Suppress
To consciously prevent the dissemination of information
The government tried to suppress the news.
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Nov 08, 2023
Repress
To prevent the natural or normal expression, activity, or development
The regime repressed any form of dissent.
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Nov 08, 2023
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Suppress
To stop or subdue an action or emotion deliberately
She suppressed her desire to shout in anger.
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Nov 08, 2023
Repress
To push distressing memories out of the conscious mind
Traumatic events are often repressed into the subconscious.
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Nov 08, 2023
Suppress
To reduce the incidence or severity
Medication can suppress symptoms of the illness.
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Nov 08, 2023
Repress
To hold back or prevent by an act of volition
Couldn't repress a smirk.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To put an end to forcibly; subdue
Suppress a rebellion. See Usage Note at repress.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To curtail or prohibit the activities of
Suppress dissident groups.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
To end, limit, or restrain, as by intimidation or other action
Repress a heresy.
Repress inflation.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To keep from being revealed, published, or circulated
Suppress evidence.
Suppress a film.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
(Psychology) To exclude (painful or disturbing memories, for example) automatically or unconsciously from the conscious mind.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To deliberately exclude (unacceptable desires or thoughts) from the mind.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
To prevent (the transcription of a gene or the synthesis of a protein) by the combination of a protein with an operator gene.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To restrain the growth, activity, or release of
Suppress a virus.
Suppress a hemorrhage.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
(transitive) To forcefully prevent an upheaval from developing further.
To repress rebellion or sedition
To repress the first risings of discontent
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To put an end to, especially with force, to crush, do away with; to prohibit, subdue.
Political dissent was brutally suppressed.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To restrain or repress, such as laughter or an expression.
I struggled to suppress my smile.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
(psychiatry) To exclude undesirable thoughts from one's mind.
He unconsciously suppressed his memories of abuse.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To prevent publication.
The government suppressed the findings of their research about the true state of the economy.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To stop a flow or stream.
The rescue team managed to suppress the flow of oil by blasting the drilling hole.
Hot blackcurrant juice mixed with honey may suppress cough.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
To press back or down effectually; to crush down or out; to quell; to subdue; to supress; as, to repress sedition or rebellion; to repress the first risings of discontent.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To forbid the use of evidence at trial because it is improper or was improperly obtained.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
Hence, to check; to restrain; to keep back.
Desire of wine and all delicious drinks, . . . Thou couldst repress.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
(military) To stop or prevent the enemy from executing unwanted activities like firing, regrouping, observation or others.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
Put down by force or intimidation;
The government quashes any attempt of an uprising
China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently
The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To overpower and crush; to subdue; to put down; to quell.
Every rebellion, when it is suppressed, doth make the subject weaker, and the prince stronger.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To keep in; to restrain from utterance or vent; as, to suppress the voice; to suppress a smile.
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Oct 19, 2023
Repress
To subdue or inhibit instinctive impulses
She repressed her laughter during the ceremony.
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Nov 08, 2023
Suppress
To retain without disclosure; to conceal; not to reveal; to prevent publication of; as, to suppress evidence; to suppress a pamphlet; to suppress the truth.
She suppresses the name, and this keeps him in a pleasing suspense.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To stop; to restrain; to arrest the discharges of; as, to suppress a diarrhea, or a hemorrhage.
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
To put down by force or authority;
Suppress a nascent uprising
Stamp down on littering
Conquer one's desires
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
Come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority;
The government oppresses political activists
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Oct 19, 2023
Suppress
Keep under control; keep in check;
Suppress a smile
Keep your temper
Keep your cool
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Oct 19, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Can you repress memories intentionally?
No, repression of memories is typically an unconscious process.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Can one suppress thoughts?
Yes, one can consciously try to control or ignore certain thoughts.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Is repression always a conscious choice?
No, repression is an unconscious mechanism.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
What does it mean to repress emotions?
To unconsciously bury emotions out of conscious awareness.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Can repression occur without awareness?
Yes, it happens without the individual's awareness.
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Nov 08, 2023
How do you identify repression?
It is often identified through therapy or psychological analysis.
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Nov 08, 2023
Does suppression affect mental health?
Prolonged suppression can have negative effects on mental health.
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Nov 08, 2023
What does suppression involve?
It involves the conscious effort to control or prevent something.
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Nov 08, 2023
Can suppress mean to end something?
Yes, to suppress can mean to bring something to an end.
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Nov 08, 2023
Does repression require effort?
No, it's an automatic process that doesn't require conscious effort.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
What might repression lead to?
It can lead to psychological issues like anxiety or depression.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
What kind of memories can be repressed?
Typically, painful or traumatic memories are repressed.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Can one choose to repress something?
Choice isn't typically involved in repression; it's unconscious.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Can suppressing feelings be harmful?
Yes, it can lead to stress or emotional buildup.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Are repressed and suppressed interchangeable?
No, they refer to different processes of holding back.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Can a society be repressed?
Yes, in terms of limiting the awareness or discussion of issues.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Is suppression a form of censorship?
Yes, it can be when it involves controlling information.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
Can suppression be a conscious defense mechanism?
Yes, it can be used consciously to cope with situations.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 08, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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