inhibition
/ɪn(h)ɪˈbɪʃ(ə)n
/noun
1A feeling that makes one self-conscious and unable to act in a relaxed and natural way: the children, at first shy, soon lost their inhibitions [mass noun]: she showed an enthusiasm for sex and a lack of inhibition which was entirely alien to him...
- And what with alcohol removing your natural inhibitions, I… did some things that I shouldn't have.
- Once the Soviet Union collapsed, the fear and inhibitions mostly disappeared, but the psychological need to confront ‘evil’ states remained.
- I remember being a little shy about bathing outside naked but then my inhibitions would disappear at the sheer joy of feeling that soft warm water on my hot skin.
Synonyms
shyness, reticence, self-consciousness, reserve, diffidence, bashfulness, coyness, embarrassment, unease, wariness, reluctance, discomfort, hesitance, hesitancy, apprehension, nerves, nervousness, insecurity;
lack of confidence, unassertiveness, timidity, timorousness;
repression, restraint, constraint, reservation, mental block, psychological block
informal hang-up
1.1 Psychology A restraint on the direct expression of an instinct.But Freud also acknowledged that purely external factors, rather than internal inhibitions, might prevent the direct expression of such impulses....
- She then builds up a secondary inhibition to sexual arousal in order to avoid the frustration accompanying an unsatisfying sexual experience.
- The moral that Freud drew from this reasoning was that the inhibition of natural emotional expressions could lead to dangerous consequences.
1.2 [mass noun] The slowing or prevention of a process, reaction, or function by a particular substance.With respect to this subject, the reported DNA damage and inhibition of DNA repair functions by photooxidative reactions is an interesting aspect....
- Similar calmodulin-mediated phosphorylations lead to inhibition of glycogen synthase.
- The alternative possibility, that the kinetic complexity of Mg-G-actin digestions arises from trypsin inhibition in these reactions, has been tested in two ways.
2 [mass noun] The action of inhibiting a process.The main characteristic of whole body withdrawal is complete inhibition of swimming....
- It may involve simultaneous activation of some belief representations and inhibition of others.
- There is no reason to think other large single-currency areas, such as China, pay any smaller cost in terms of overall GDP inhibition and regional disparity.
Synonyms
hindrance, hampering, holding back, discouragement, obstruction, impediment, retardation;
curbing, checking, suppression, repression, restriction, restraint, constraint, bridling, shackling, fettering, cramping, baulking, frustration, arrest, stifling, smothering, prevention, blocking, thwarting, foiling, quashing, stopping, halting, putting an end/stop to, nipping in the bud;
curb, check, bar, barrier, straitjacket
3 Law, British An order or writ of prohibition, especially against dealing with a specified piece of land or property.As the accountant or the lawyer pointed out though, there would be stamp duty inhibitions on that....
- Now, these provisions mean that the land is less valuable than it would be if the land were conveyed without the inhibitions?
- Yes, but the practical effect of the inhibition on the lawyer to give a communication is to inhibit the receipt of the communication by the person to whom it is directed.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'forbidding, a prohibition'): from Latin inhibitio(n-), from the verb inhibere (see inhibit).