oppressive
Americanadjective
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burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical.
an oppressive king;
oppressive laws.
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causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc..
oppressive heat.
-
distressing or grievous.
oppressive sorrows.
adjective
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cruel, harsh, or tyrannical
-
heavy, constricting, or depressing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of oppressive
First recorded in 1620–30; from Medieval Latin oppresīvus, equivalent to Latin oppress(us) “pressed down” ( see oppress) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
Think of something crushing you, and you will understand what oppressive is. It can be something that crushes your spirit, like a bad relationship, or something that crushes you with its tyranny, like the oppressive rule of a dictator. Oppressive comes in many flavors; laws can be oppressive, governments can be oppressive, even relationships can be oppressive. The adjective oppressive is heavy stuff; it can feel like you can't breathe, like something is choking you: "His oppressive behavior made me feel like I was being smothered." If something is just too intense, and not in a good way, that also can feel oppressive.
Vocabulary lists containing oppressive
The Sweltering Words of Summer
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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Tuck Everlasting
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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.
Commemorations instead stressed how, in the century since the Revolution, the U.S. had industrialized, ended the oppressive system of slavery and expanded its territory across the continent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
In the oppressive heat, the hosts battled hard on a surface where any small stray in length or length was punished by the batters.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
"Lots of people are living in fear and uncertainty," one former resident said of the oppressive atmosphere that many now say reigns in the world-renowned experimental city.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
So he began workshopping a twist, landing on a monster that is used by an oppressive community as a tool of coercion.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
As if to make things still more oppressive, M. Yoshoto’s handwriting was just barely legible.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
