oppressive

[ uh-pres-iv ]

/ əˈprɛs ɪv /

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See synonyms for: oppressive / oppressively / oppressiveness 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.

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Origin of oppressive

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

OTHER WORDS FROM oppressive

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. 2023

How to use oppressive in a sentence

Zwicky said he had pushed the company to speak out more forcefully against the potentially oppressive technology and that he chose to abruptly resign because he believed the company was only interested in making the story go away.
Huawei official speaks out on why he resigned after The Post reported the tech giant had worked on a ‘Uighur alarm’|Drew Harwell|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Irene has only sought out the Drayton as a temporary refuge from the oppressive heat.
Colorism Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg In ‘Passing’|Brande Victorian|February 1, 2021|Essence.com
At it’s worst, it creates an oppressive sense of a constant present.
At Baltimore’s Reginald F. Lewis Museum, a show on recent history that’s urgently of the moment|Kelsey Ables|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
I love you to oppressiveness—I, who have never before felt more than a pleasant passing fancy for any woman I have ever seen.
Return of the Native|Thomas Hardy

The kind of emotion which this examination, joined to the oppressiveness of the air, occasioned, was choking the baron.
A Romance of the West Indies|Eugne Sue
There was a curious oppressiveness in the air, too, and more than one found difficulty in breathing.
The Moving Picture Girls at Sea|Laura Lee Hope
Poor, highly strung Sue Bridehead, with her neurotic temperament, could not throw off the oppressiveness of the old house.
Thomas Hardy's Dorset|Robert Thurston Hopkins
The Marine band struck the first notes of the National Hymn amid a silence whose oppressiveness could be felt.
The Southerner|Thomas Dixon

British Dictionary definitions for oppressive

oppressive

/ (əˈprɛsɪv) /

adjective

cruel, harsh, or tyrannical

heavy, constricting, or depressing

Derived forms of oppressive

oppressively, 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

oppressive

Origin of oppressive

OTHER WORDS FROM oppressive

Words related to oppressive

How to use oppressive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for oppressive

Derived forms of oppressive