oppressed

American  

[uh-prest] / əˈprɛst /

adjective

1. burdened with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subjected to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power.

   He's spent over three years documenting the lives of poor, exploited, and oppressed peoples in Latin America.

2. weighed down by thoughts or feelings that lie heavily on the mind or spirit.

   The fix for a hurt heart, broken spirit, or oppressed mind is not always easy, but there is a path to recovery.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. Usually the oppressed oppressed people collectively.

   We cannot proclaim individual liberty and at the same time show no solidarity with the oppressed.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of oppress.

Other Word Forms

• unoppressed adjective

Etymology

Origin of oppressed

First recorded in 1350–1400; oppress ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

To be oppressed is to be exploited or systematically harmed by others. People who have no freedom are oppressed. Being oppressed is a negative and unfair condition. The United States was founded because we felt oppressed by the rule of England. African-Americans, Native Americans, women, gays, and other minority groups have all been oppressed by prejudice and unfair laws. So people who are oppressed tend to be angry — and for good reason. Oppressed people tend to fight for their freedom, and they often get it.

Example Sentences

“When I see an ICE agent doing something radically bad and harmful, I can recognize that that is a person who is suffering and being oppressed by a deep darkness.”

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

The march was an "international demonstration... in support of Palestinians and all the oppressed around the world", the group added after the ban was announced.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

But if you say you’re fighting a war on behalf of a country’s oppressed people, it’s a good idea—in fact, it is an essential element of the war strategy—to think about this problem.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

Harbored at different times by Yemen, Syria, East Germany and communist Hungary, this self-appointed tribune of the oppressed was finally captured in Sudan in 1994, then convicted in France of multiple murders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• abused
• destitute
• distressed
• enslaved
• exploited
• helpless
• persecuted