inhibition
C1Formal, Academic, Technical
Definition
Meaning
A feeling of nervousness or embarrassment that prevents you from expressing your thoughts, emotions, or desires; the process of stopping or preventing something from happening or progressing.
In psychology/psychiatry: a restraining of a mental process or behavior. In biology/chemistry: the slowing, stopping, or prevention of a biochemical reaction or biological process. In law: a prohibition or forbidding order.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often carries a nuance of an *internal* psychological barrier or an automatic, often subconscious, *restraint*. When used in science, it is a precise, neutral term for a blocking mechanism.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is virtually identical in meaning and frequency. No specific lexical or grammatical differences.
Connotations
Slightly more common in British English in informal contexts to describe social shyness (e.g., 'He lost his inhibitions after a few drinks'). In American English, the psychological/technical senses might be marginally more prominent.
Frequency
Comparably frequent in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
inhibition against + -INGinhibition about + noun/-INGinhibition of + nouninhibition on + nounVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “lose one's inhibitions”
- “without inhibition”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to factors restraining growth, investment, or communication. 'Regulatory inhibitions slowed the launch of the new product.'
Academic
Common in psychology (behavioral inhibition), neuroscience (neural inhibition), biochemistry (enzyme inhibition). 'The study measured the inhibition of the amygdala's response.'
Everyday
Describes personal shyness or reluctance. 'She had no inhibition about singing in public.'
Technical
Precise term in science/medicine for a blocking process. 'Allosteric inhibition of the receptor protein was observed.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The cold weather inhibits plant growth.
- A lack of funding inhibited the project's development.
American English
- The drug inhibits the spread of the virus.
- Fear inhibited her from speaking up.
adverb
British English
- He spoke inhibitedly, unsure of his welcome.
American English
- She acted inhibitedly in the unfamiliar setting.
adjective
British English
- She felt very inhibited at the formal party.
- The inhibited enzyme failed to catalyze the reaction.
American English
- His inhibited personality made networking difficult.
- An inhibited response was recorded from the neuron.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She felt inhibition when meeting new people.
- Alcohol can make people lose their inhibitions.
- His main inhibition was a fear of looking silly.
- The chemical causes an inhibition of pain signals.
- Overcoming social inhibitions is a key part of confidence training.
- The treaty placed inhibitions on the testing of certain weapons.
- The prefrontal cortex is implicated in the inhibition of impulsive behavior.
- Allosteric inhibition provides a crucial feedback mechanism in metabolic pathways.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a HIBERNATING bear IN its cave. The bear's activity is INHIBITED—held back, prevented—by its hibernation state. IN + HIBERNATION → INHIBITION.
Conceptual Metaphor
INHIBITION IS A BARRIER/BLOCK. INHIBITION IS A BRAKE. INHIBITION IS A CENSOR.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not directly translate as "ингибиция" (a rare scientific term).
- For psychological/social meaning, use "скованность", "зажатость", "внутренний барьер".
- For legal/prohibition meaning, use "запрет".
- Avoid confusing with "запрещение" which is more about external prohibition.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'He had an inhibition to go.' Correct: 'He had an inhibition about going.'
- Confusing 'inhibition' with 'prohibition' (which is always external).
- Misspelling as 'inhabition'.
Practice
Quiz
In a biochemical context, 'inhibition' most precisely means:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Inhibition' is primarily an internal or automatic restraint, often psychological or biochemical. 'Prohibition' is an external, formal rule or law forbidding something.
Yes. In psychology, healthy inhibitions prevent impulsive or harmful actions. In biology, inhibition is a vital regulatory process (e.g., inhibitory neurons prevent over-excitation).
Yes, in technical contexts. 'Disinhibition' means a reduction or removal of an inhibitory influence, leading to increased or impulsive activity.
Its core meaning (social shyness) is B1/B2, but its precise academic and technical uses in psychology, neuroscience, and biochemistry require C1-level abstract understanding and specialist vocabulary.
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