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.
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distressing or grievous.
oppressive sorrows.
adjective
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cruel, harsh, or tyrannical
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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.
Exhausting, laborious, oppressive, but three points and hope.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
They characterize these authorities as an oppressive force, denying individuals the freedom to make their own choices, however unscientific, about healthcare.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
Workers started protesting the loss of jobs and oppressive conditions on factory floors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
“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 • Mar. 13, 2026
Shadow wondered if it was the weather: oppressive, still and cold.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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.
