acting out

1. 1.

   a (usually irritating) impulsive and uncontrollable outburst by a problem child or a neurotic adult

   Broadereffusion
2. 2.

   (psychiatry) the display of previously inhibited emotions (often in actions rather than words); considered to be healthy and therapeutic

   Broaderdisplay

   psychiatry

Questions about acting out

What does acting out mean?

acting out means "a (usually irritating) impulsive and uncontrollable outburst by a problem child or a neurotic adult". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

Is acting out a common word?

acting out is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.