What does suppressed mean?
Suppressed means prevented from being expressed, published, or made known, and it can also refer to something forcibly restrained or subdued. People speak of suppressed information, suppressed anger, suppressed laughter, and suppressed protests, with the word often suggesting that a response or disclosure has been deliberately contained. In its verbal use, “suppressed” is the past tense and past participle of “suppress,” as in “the authorities suppressed the demonstration.” The word generally conveys stronger control than merely “quieted” or “hidden,” particularly when applied to speech, rights, protests, or evidence. It is common in formal reporting, legal and political discussion, and everyday descriptions of emotions and sounds. Its Latin ancestry reinforces the idea of something being forcibly kept down rather than merely absent.
Prevented from being expressed, published, or made known; forcibly restrained or kept down.
"The organization apologized for its suppressed report."
Common with information, evidence, reactions, sounds, protests, and other forms of expression.
Past tense and past participle of suppress.
"The officer suppressed the crowd's chant."
This is a regular inflection of the verb suppress.
The word's Latin root means “press down,” so even its modern sense of restraint carries an image of forceful containment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of suppressed
The word comes through Middle English and Latin from Latin supprimere, formed from sub- meaning “under” and premere meaning “to press.” Its literal sense was “press down” or “keep down,” which developed into the modern meanings of restraining, withholding, or putting an end to something. The English verb suppress appeared in the late Middle English period, and the form suppressed follows the regular English past-tense and past-participle pattern.
Related word forms
How suppressed is actually used
The word is commonly used for information, reactions, sounds, protests, and other forms of expression that are deliberately or forcibly held back. It is also standard as the past tense and past participle of suppress.
Easily confused with suppressed
Suppressed means kept from being expressed or made known, whereas oppressed means subjected to harsh or unfair treatment or control.
Suppressed refers to something withheld or restrained, while depressed refers to something lowered, flattened, or suffering from clinical depression.