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pent-up
[ pent-uhp ]
adjective
- not vented or expressed; held inside; restrained; curbed:
pent-up emotions;
pent-up rage.
Synonyms: , ,
pent-up
adjective
- not released; repressed
pent-up emotions
- kept unwillingly
I've been pent up in this office for over a year
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of pent-up1
Example Sentences
He openly stews in pent-up grievances and discredits the prior administration at every opportunity.
The killing of Mr Thompson, 50, a husband and father of two, sparked a nationwide conversation about the US healthcare system, unleashing pent-up anger at the industry and some ugly reaction.
She wears a pointy hat in free YouTube tutorials and leads women into the Topanga forest for “rage rituals,” during which they scream and thrash sticks around as she guides them in unleashing pent-up anger.
We see the pent-up worry on her face signaling incipient danger: Helicopters roam the city while news of kidnapped ambassadors pours from the radio.
Among the many activities that day will be a Rage Ritual, during which participants collectively scream and thrash around enormous sticks as Magik guides them in releasing pent-up emotions.
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More About Pent-up
What does pent-up mean?
Pent-up is used to describe something that is repressed or not expressed, such as feelings, as in Tina had a lot of pent-up anger over her parents’ divorce that she did not know how to express.
Pent-up also describes something that has not been vented, like a gas, which causes pressure to build, as in Tremors release pent-up energy beneath the earth’s crust.
Example: All this pent-up anger is bad for your mental health.
Where does pent-up come from?
The first records of the term pent-up come from the early 1700s. It combines the adjective pent, meaning “contained or confined,” and the term up.
Usually, pent-up refers to emotional pressure or mental confinement. It comes from literal uses, such as describing pent-up gasses, liquids, or substances that might burst from their confinement. For example, if too much water is let into a dam’s well, the pent-up water can cause damage unless it is let out the other side.
Pent-up usually refers to negative emotions such as sadness or rage because people often avoid dealing with those feelings, so they stay with us. Connected to this figurative use of pent-up is the term vent. Pressure can literally be released using a vent, while figuratively, emotions can be released by venting, that is, sharing them with other people or otherwise expressing them.
Did you know … ?
How is pent-up used in real life?
Pent-up is usually associated with negative emotions or negative results from pressure buildup.
Difficult night's sleep; waking early and feeling pent-up; anybody would think there was a big game on today.
— Brian Moore (@brianmoore666)
Project landed.
Run in terror at the pent-up Tweetrage.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson)
Seismologists have long feared a so-called “big one” in Western Nepal, where there is pent-up pressure from grinding tectonic plates. 1/2
— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT)
Try using pent-up!
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for pent-up?
A. repressed
B. released
C. stifled
D. suppressed
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