oppressive
Americanadjective
-
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.
adjective
-
cruel, harsh, or tyrannical
-
heavy, constricting, or depressing
Other Word Forms
- nonoppressive adjective
- nonoppressively adverb
- nonoppressiveness noun
- oppressively adverb
- oppressiveness noun
- self-oppressive adjective
- unoppressive adjective
- unoppressively adverb
- unoppressiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of oppressive
First recorded in 1620–30; from Medieval Latin oppresīvus, equivalent to Latin oppress(us) “pressed down” ( oppress ) + -īvus -ive
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.
Eleanor fanned herself with her notepad to ward off the oppressive heat.
From Literature
“One of the interesting things about L.A. was, when I moved there, I couldn’t really blame the city anymore because I wasn’t in an oppressive place,” he remembers.
From Los Angeles Times
Popular methodologies today for middle and high schools stress group work, projects, technology, and an oppressive focus on math and science curriculums.
She said: "What if we are left with ruins and the same mullahs and the same government? Only more oppressive and more defiant?"
From BBC
The pain and exhaustion and grief are so real and oppressive, the camera never dares set a foot outside.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
