oppressed
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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
verb
Other Word Forms
- unoppressed adjective
Etymology
Origin of oppressed
First recorded in 1350–1400; oppress ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
Although she had already received a good deal of acclaim, O’Keeffe had begun to feel oppressed by her life in New York with her husband, the pioneering photographer and art dealer Alfred Stieglitz.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
The march was an "international demonstration... in support of Palestinians and all the oppressed around the world", the group added after the ban was announced.
From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026
But if you say you’re fighting a war on behalf of a country’s oppressed people, it’s a good idea—in fact, it is an essential element of the war strategy—to think about this problem.
From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026
The Islamic Human Rights Commission describes Al Quds Day as an "international demonstration... in support of Palestinians and all the oppressed around the world".
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
The Youth League was marginally more friendly to the Indians and the Coloureds, stating that Indians, like Africans, were oppressed, but that Indians had India, a mother country that they could look to.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions 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.
