1. (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
   - defense mechanism [US], defense reaction [US], defence reaction [Brit, Cdn], defense [US], defence [Brit, Cdn]

Derived forms: defence mechanisms

Type of: process, psychoanalytic process, unconscious process

Encyclopedia: Defence mechanism

• morosely
• moroseness
• morosoph
• morph
• morphallaxis
• morphea
• morpheme
• morphemic
• Morpheus
• morphia
• morphine
• morphogenesis
• morphologic
• morphological
• morphological rule
• morphologically
• morphology
• morphophoneme
• morphophonemic
• morphophonemic system
• morphophonemics
• morphophysiology
• morphosis
• Morrigan
• Morrigu