oppressive

[uh-pres-iv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oppressive 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.

Origin of oppressive

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

Related formsop·pres·sive·ly, adverbop·pres·sive·ness, nounnon·op·pres·sive, adjectivenon·op·pres·sive·ly, adverbnon·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. 2019

Related Words for oppressiveness

moisture, evaporation, humidity, dampness, heaviness, thickness, dew, wet, sultriness, steam, clamminess, wetness, dankness, vaporization, stickiness, swelter

Examples from the Web for oppressiveness

Historical Examples of oppressiveness

In its times of least oppressiveness it was an enormity, if he were innocent.
Sir Walter Ralegh
William Stebbing
He got the feeling of being expected to contribute to the oppressiveness of the occasion.
Fidelity
Susan Glaspell
For a moment the stillness seemed tangible in its oppressiveness.
Phases of an Inferior Planet
Ellen Glasgow
In order to give you a faint idea of the oppressiveness of our etiquette, I shall mention a few examples.
Letters of a Javanese Princess
Raden Adjeng Kartini
He had no doubt of the oppressiveness of Republican rule, and the need of shaking it off by vigorous measures.
The Negro and the Nation
George S. Merriam

British Dictionary definitions for oppressiveness

oppressive

adjective

cruel, harsh, or tyrannical

heavy, constricting, or depressing

Derived Formsoppressively, 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

Word Origin and History for oppressiveness

oppressive

adj.

1640s, from Medieval Latin oppressivus, from oppress-, past participle stem of opprimere (see oppress). Related: Oppressively; oppressiveness.