inhibited

Sayin-HIB-i-tid/ɪnˈhɪbɪtɪd/

2 meanings of inhibited

1
adjective
Reserved and emotionally restrained, prone to quiet, guarded behavior and reluctant to express feelings openly.
Like a spring held tightly coiled, never allowed to release its energy.
Years of a strict upbringing left her inhibited in most social settings.
He was too inhibited to admit how much the praise actually meant to him.
Similarreserved, shy, self-conscious, repressed, restrained
Oppositeuninhibited, outgoing, open, expressive
2
verb
Simple past and past participle of inhibit.
High salt levels inhibited bacterial growth in the stored samples.
The new policy has inhibited free movement across the border.
Note
One spelling serves two tenses here. It follows have for the perfect (has inhibited growth) and be for the passive (growth was inhibited). The verb is transitive, so something is always held back by something else. In the Philippines it can also mean recused. Unlike the adjective for a reserved person, the verb form never takes more or most, and that is the quickest way to tell them apart.

inhibited is a form of inhibit

inhibit, verb: To hold back or keep in check; to restrain something or prevent it from acting freely. Full entry

Forms: inhibitinhibits he/she/itinhibiting -ing forminhibited past tense, past participle
Spelling: inhibit → inhibited: add -ed
Sound: The ending sounds like /ɪd/, an extra syllable.

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