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oppressive

[ uh-pres-iv ]
/ əˈprɛs ɪv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR oppressive

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to oppressive

onerous, overbearing, dictatorial, unjust, inhuman, cruel, brutal, depressing, burdensome, heavy-handed, tyrannical, harsh, stifling, torrid, muggy, sultry, suffocating, backbreaking, bleak, confining

Example sentences from the Web for oppressive

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