Pent
/pɛnt/
adjectiveB2
Definition
Pent means held inside, not allowed to come out or be shown. It is often used to talk about emotions, energy, or things that are kept hidden or controlled tightly. For example, pent-up anger means anger that someone feels but does not express.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Held inside or confined, especially emotions or energy
- •She felt pent anger after the long argument.
- •The pent excitement in the room was almost visible.
- •Pent frustration can sometimes cause headaches.
Physically confined or closed in a small space (less common)
- •The animals were pent in a small cage.
- •He felt pent inside the tiny room.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "pent" like "closed," but for feelings or energy that are trapped inside and cannot escape.
- ✓Picture a bottle with a cork tightly closed, holding water inside without spilling.
- ✓It's the feeling when you want to shout or run but must stay quiet or still.
- ✓Sounds like "pent" → imagine a pen (for writing) tightly closed, holding all the words inside without letting them out.
- ✓In stories, characters with pent emotions often feel stressed or ready to explode.
- ✓NOT like "free" (open and moving), "pent" means stuck or locked inside.
- ✓NOT like "hidden" (which means secret), "pent" focuses on being held inside and ready to burst.
- ✓NOT like "calm" (peaceful), "pent" often means tension or pressure inside.
- ✓NOT like "expressed" (shown outside), "pent" means kept inside, waiting.
Try Other Words
- •Confined: kept in a small or limited space (Use when talking about physical space or strict limits)
- •Repressed: held back, especially feelings or desires (Use when emotions or thoughts are pushed down or controlled)
- •Bottled up: emotions kept inside without expression (Use in informal speech about feelings)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "pent" comes from Old English "penten," meaning to confine or restrain
- •Etymology: From Old English, related to words meaning to enclose or shut in
- •Historical development: Originally used for physical confinement, later extended to emotions and energy held inside
- •Modern usage: Mostly used as an adjective describing feelings or energy that are held back or not released
- •Interesting fact: The word appears in phrases like "pent-up emotions," which is common in everyday English
Reflect & Connect
•Can pent emotions be helpful sometimes, or do they always cause problems?
•How do people usually deal with pent feelings in different cultures or situations?
Fill in the blanks
1.After the long silence, her pent ___ finally burst out in tears.
2.Pent anger often makes people feel ___ and restless inside.
3.Unlike calm feelings, pent emotions are usually ___ and waiting to be released.
4.When someone feels pent, they may need to ___ their emotions in a safe way.
5.The pent energy in the crowd made the concert very ___.
6.She felt pent inside the small room because it was too ___.
7.Pent frustration can sometimes lead to sudden ___ if not expressed.