oppress

verb

op·​press ə-ˈpres 

oppressed; oppressing; oppresses

transitive verb

1

a

: to crush or burden by abuse of power or authority

The country has long been oppressed by a ruthless dictator.

oppressed minorities

b

archaic : suppress

2

: to burden spiritually or mentally : weigh heavily upon

oppressed by a sense of failure

oppress by intolerable guilt

oppressor

ə-ˈpre-sər 

noun

Synonyms

• bum (out)
• burden
• dash
• deject
• depress
• get down
• sadden
• weigh down

Choose the Right Synonym for oppress

wrong, oppress, persecute, aggrieve mean to injure unjustly or outrageously.

wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

Examples of oppress in a Sentence

The country has long been oppressed by a ruthless dictator.

They condemned attempts by the government to oppress its citizens.

people who have traditionally been oppressed by society

Recent Examples on the Web

The Haitian Revolution and American Slavery For both US politicians and enslaved Black Americans, the Haitian Revolution represented the possibility of a successful violent rebellion by the oppressed. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

How can power be fragmented to prevent any faction from dominating or oppressing a rival to sanctify liberty and the march of the mind? —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2024

The current avalanche of about 600 pieces of anti-transgender legislation in our country is the intentional capstone of a decades-long, coordinated effort to oppress and exclude. —Washington Post, 21 June 2024

For the next 16 years, right up to the invasion, Russians heard newscasters describe Ukraine as an evil country, controlled by the United States, that oppressed its Russian-speaking population. —Boris Bondarev, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English oppressen "to put pressure on, crush, burden, overwhelm," borrowed from Anglo-French oppresser, borrowed from Medieval Latin oppressāre, frequentative derivative from Latin oppressus, past participle of opprimere "to press on, stifle, overpower," from ob- ob- + premere "to press" — more at press entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

oppress

verb

op·​press ə-ˈpres 

1

: to control or rule in a harsh or cruel way

a country oppressed by a dictator

2

: to cause to feel burdened in spirit

oppressed by grief

oppressor

-ˈpres-ər 

noun