Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

defense mechanism

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.18 in modern English

Syllables
de-fense mech-a-nism
IPA
29
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A psychological strategy used unconsciously by people to cope with harmful or stressful situations.

American usage

noun

An automatic reaction of the body against foreign antibodies.

American usage

Etymology

Calque of German Abwehrmechanismus, a concept in the Freudian model.

Usage

Inflected Forms

defense mechanisms (plural) defence mechanism (alternative)

Synonyms

defense reaction defence mechanism defence reaction defense defence

Questions

What does defense mechanism mean?
A psychological strategy used unconsciously by people to cope with harmful or stressful situations.
Where does defense mechanism come from?
Calque of German Abwehrmechanismus, a concept in the Freudian model.

How to pronounce defense mechanism

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “defense mechanism”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “defense mechanism”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “defense mechanism” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.