pent-up

[pent-uhp] / ˈpɛntˈʌp /

ADJECTIVE

held within

Synonyms

STRONGEST

repressed stifled suppressed

WEAK

bottled-up bridled checked constrained curbed held in check held-back inhibited restrained restricted smothered

Antonyms

WEAK

public released

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"A lot of pent-up emotion came out on the 18th green. A moment like that makes all the years and all the close calls worth it," said McIlroy.

From BBC

“We all thought that when the strikes ended, there would be all this pent-up demand for Hollywood production,” said John Kim, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets.

From The Wall Street Journal

Home Depot said it expects those metrics to grow at a faster clip if the housing market gains momentum and there is increased spend on larger projects, driven by pent-up demand.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Our Market Recovery Case reflects our performance expectations once we see momentum in housing activity and increased spend on larger projects driven by pent-up demand,” Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said.

From Barron's

Still, there appears to be pent-up demand for IPOs going into 2026, with several big companies already prepared to list their stocks or rumored to be getting ready to file for IPOs.

From Barron's