oppressed

[uh-prest]

adjective

1. burdened with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subjected to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power.

   He's spent over three years documenting the lives of poor, exploited, and oppressed peoples in Latin America.

2. weighed down by thoughts or feelings that lie heavily on the mind or spirit.

   The fix for a hurt heart, broken spirit, or oppressed mind is not always easy, but there is a path to recovery.

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. Usually the oppressed oppressed people collectively.

   We cannot proclaim individual liberty and at the same time show no solidarity with the oppressed.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of oppress.

Other Word Forms

• unoppressed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oppressed¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; oppress ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

It will be a long time before the U.S. can demand liberty for oppressed nations and be taken seriously.

From Salon

In 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center considered these groups to be extremist, “constantly painting themselves as an oppressed class, while vilifying those discriminated against,” it said.

From Los Angeles Times

They believe they are entitled to control public opinion, or they are being oppressed.

From Salon

But the turbulent charge of Leroy’s voice and body language serves another purpose: keeping the character’s history as an oppressed Black man cruelly cut off from his soulmate ever in sight.

From Los Angeles Times

Gray calls this attitude part of “conspicuous resilience,” conflating being temporarily displaced and inconvenienced with being oppressed and vulnerable, leading to the celebration and glorification of a recovery that mostly benefits the few.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abused www.thesaurus.com
• destitute 
• distressed 
• enslaved 
• exploited 
• helpless 
• persecuted