reprimere
to repress
verb reh-PREE-meh-reh Rare
Origin: Latin reprimere (to press back, check)
Also means
to suppress
Usage Note
Reprimere can be used both for suppressing emotions (reprimere la rabbia, to hold back anger) and for forcibly crushing a revolt or movement (reprimere una rivolta). It is an irregular verb of the second conjugation: past participle represso. Do not confuse with sopprimere (to abolish, to eliminate entirely).
Examples
"Cercava di reprimere la sua rabbia."
Natural Translation
He was trying to repress his anger.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic
ItalianNow
5 min read
ItalianNow
5 min read