suppressive

Suppressive is an adjective meaning tending to suppress or capable of causing suppression. It describes actions, policies, or agents that restrain, inhibit, or repress activity, expression, or response. The term comes from the Latin supprimere, meaning “to press down,” and is used across fields to denote reduction or containment.

In medicine and biology, suppressive describes therapies or agents that dampen physiological or immune processes. Immunosuppressive drugs reduce immune activity to prevent organ rejection or treat autoimmune disease. Suppressive therapy refers more broadly to strategies aimed at reducing disease activity or symptoms.

In military usage, suppressive fire is fire designed to prevent the enemy from firing, moving, or observing by restricting their cover and effectiveness.

In politics, social policy, and law, suppressive measures are actions intended to limit dissent, expression, or civil liberties, such as censorship or information control.

In some subcultures, notably within Scientology, suppressive can describe individuals perceived as obstructing progress; the term suppressive person is used as a label for such individuals by adherents of that belief system.

Related terms include suppression, repress, repressive, and suppress.