Absence, loss, or withholding of something needed.
- emotional d. lack of adequate and appropriate interpersonal or environmental experiences, or both, usually in the early developmental years.
- sensory d. diminution or absence of usual external stimuli or perceptual experiences, commonly resulting in psychological distress and aberrant functioning if continued too long.
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de·pri·va·tion .dep-rə-'vā-shən, .dē-.prī- n the act or process of removing or the condition resulting from removal of something normally present and usu. essential for mental or physical well-being <his nervous system may have been affected by early oxygen \deprivation (Jack Fincher)> <sleep \deprivation>
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dep·ri·va·tion (dep″rĭ-vaґshən) [de- + L. privare to remove] loss or absence of something, such as a part, organ, or capability.Medical dictionary. 2011.