oppressive

[ uh-pres-iv ]

/ əˈprɛs ɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oppressive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical: an oppressive king; oppressive laws.

causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc.: oppressive heat.

distressing or grievous: oppressive sorrows.

Nearby words

Origin of oppressive

1620–30; < Medieval Latin oppresīvus, equivalent to oppress(us) (see oppress) + -īvus -ive

Related forms

op·pres·sive·ly, adverbop·pres·sive·ness, nounnon·op·pres·sive, adjectivenon·op·pres·sive·ly, adverb

non·op·pres·sive·ness, nounself-op·pres·sive, adjectiveun·op·pres·sive, adjectiveun·op·pres·sive·ly, adverbun·op·pres·sive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for oppressive

Demographic changes are making that community less dogmatic, even through the Castro regime remains an oppressive dictatorship.
The Liberation of the Lame Duck: Obama Goes Full Bulworth|John Avlon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In other words, markets were impersonal, but that was good, because sometimes personal ties were cruel and oppressive.
Why Your Waiter Hates You|Jedediah Purdy|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And of course there is the truly bad touch that is humiliating, oppressive and often painful.
Patted Down by India’s Hugging Saint|Daniel Genis|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At this point the hot, oppressive cloud-cover was beginning to part, and the moon was rising high above the desert.
The Night the SEALS Captured the Butcher of Fallujah|Patrick Robinson|November 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Starting today, an Internet user in an oppressive country can swap online identities with someone in the West.
Google Sends a Lifeline to Internet Users in Iran and China|Josh Rogin|October 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The early church bells began to ring, but the sound was hateful, for it seemed to add to that oppressive loneliness.
The New Boys at Oakdale|Morgan Scott
He was in a very sweet humor,—full of wit and pathos, without being overbearing or oppressive.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 15|Various
It is hard to believe that oppressive heat is felt in the valley just beneath him.
The Andes of Southern Peru|Isaiah Bowman
II, by way of purchase (as was before observed) for the feodal tenures and other oppressive parts of the hereditary re-310-venue.
Commentaries on the Laws of England|William Blackstone
And Victoria felt an oppressive sense of the man's power, wrapping round her and her sister like a heavy cloak.
The Golden Silence|C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for oppressive

oppressive

/ (əˈprɛsɪv) /

adjective

cruel, harsh, or tyrannical

heavy, constricting, or depressing

Derived Formsoppressively, adverboppressiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for oppressive

oppressive

adj.

1640s, from Medieval Latin oppressivus, from oppress-, past participle stem of opprimere (see oppress). Related: Oppressively; oppressiveness.

oppressive

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of oppressive

Examples from the Web for oppressive

oppressive

adjective

oppressive