oppressor
Americannoun
-
oppressors
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of oppressor
First recorded in 1375–1425; oppress ( def. ) + -or 2 ( def. )
Explanation
An oppressor is any authority (a group or a person) that uses its power unjustly to keep people under control. Many rebellious teenagers view their parents as oppressors, but the word is usually used to refer to dictators. While you might complain about your oppressor, the teacher who makes you stay late to catch up on assignments you missed, a true oppressor denies basic human rights to people who live under their control. Before Partition in 1947, the citizens of India mostly viewed their British rulers as oppressors — in some cases, Indian farmers were forced by the British to grow non-food crops, causing thousands to starve. The Latin root is opprimere, "to crush or subdue."
Vocabulary lists containing oppressor
Every Falling Star
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A Night Divided
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Vocabulary from Readings 2, Unit 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In his 1951 book, “The Rebel,” Albert Camus wrote that “every revolutionary ends up as an oppressor or a heretic.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"I have no fear, you are behind me and by my side. I have no fear because the nation is united. The nation is united against the oppressor," the letter said according to Reuters.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2025
Evidence of enjoyment of life directly rebuts the central proposition of the oppressor – namely, that the oppressed is inferior.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
In an Instagram video on Wednesday, Neeleman said her husband was portrayed as an oppressor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2024
I was the symbol of justice in the court of the oppressor, the representative of the great ideals of freedom, fairness, and democracy in a society that dishonored those virtues.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
It doesn’t see the world as a battle between oppressors and the oppressed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
It’s an artistic choice that also blurs boundaries between oppressed and oppressors, revealing the complicity of the American Dream.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
The set proves that having standards and integrity, even in the face of your oppressors and the ugliness they broadcast, will create something beautiful enough to combat even the most despicable reality.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
Everett explains that "any enslaved, imprisoned or oppressed people find a way to speak to each other in the presence of their oppressors that will not allow entry."
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2024
I walked around Algiers, hearing rank-and-file expressions of hatred for America for supporting the oppressors of the Algerians.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
