Both Uses of
suppress
in
The Great Gatsby
- Most of the confidences were unsought — frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon; for the intimate revelations of young men, or at least the terms in which they express them, are usually plagiaristic and marred by obvious suppressions.†
p. 2.1
- He waited, looking at me with suppressed eagerness.†
p. 82.1 *suppressed = kept or tried to keep under control
Definition:
trying to keep under control
The exact meaning of suppress can depend upon its context. For example:
- "suppressed the revolution" -- to stop others from doing something by force
- "suppressed a smile" -- kept something from happening
- "suppressed the story" -- kept news from spreading
- "suppressed her fear" -- controlled an emotion
- "suppressed the memory" -- avoided thinking about (perhaps even removed from conscious memory)
Synonym Comparison (if you're into word choice):
Suppress and repress can be interchanged; though in psychology something that is repressed is done unconsciously while something that is suppressed is done voluntarily.
Suppress and repress can be interchanged; though in psychology something that is repressed is done unconsciously while something that is suppressed is done voluntarily.