French Conversation · Level 161
29 words
French word
refouler
Pronunciation
IPA/ʁəfule/
Meaning
- verbbottle up
Example
Il refoule souvent sa colère au lieu d'en parler.
He often bottles up his anger instead of talking about it.
More examples
Il refoule un souvenir douloureux pour ne pas y penser.
He represses a painful memory so as not to think about it.
Core concept
A thought or desire forced inward behind a boundary that keeps it from appearing.
Common phrases
refouler un souvenir
repress a memory
refouler la douleur
suppress pain
Similar words
étouffer: Suppress feelings or words that one wants to express.
réprimer: Consciously restrain an impulse or emotion from showing.
retenir: Hold back words or actions instead of expressing or doing them.
cacher: Hide something or a feeling from other people.
Definition in French
Retenir ou pousser à l'intérieur une émotion, un désir ou une pensée qui voudrait se manifester.
Word origin
The prefix re- and the verb fouler combine in refouler, whose earlier physical meaning of pressing back was extended to thoughts, desires, and emotions.
Usage tips
- Refouler une émotion describes suppression, while retenir une émotion can also mean simply holding it back for a time without the same psychological nuance.
Other meanings
- hold backverb
- drive backverb
- rejectverb
Related words
- refoulementrepressionnoun
- refoulérepressedadjective