oppression

noun

op·​pres·​sion ə-ˈpre-shən 

1

a

: unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power

the continuing oppression of the … underclasses

—H. A. Daniels

b

: something that oppresses especially in being an unjust or excessive exercise of power

unfair taxes and other oppressions

2

: a sense of being weighed down in body or mind : depression

an oppression of spirits

Synonyms

• blue devils
• blues
• dejection
• depression
• desolation
• despond
• despondence
• despondency
• disconsolateness
• dispiritedness
• doldrums
• dolefulness
• downheartedness
• dreariness
• dumps
• forlornness
• gloom
• gloominess
• glumness
• heartsickness
• joylessness
• melancholy
• miserableness
• mopes
• mournfulness
• sadness
• sorrowfulness
• unhappiness

Examples of oppression in a Sentence

suffered a lingering oppression in the weeks after his dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

From Christopher Columbus in Connecticut to the massive Confederate statues on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va., public art honoring many historical figures identified with colonialism, slavery, and oppression was either vandalized, relocated, or removed. —Laura A. MacAluso & Karim M. Tiro / Made By History, TIME, 2 July 2024

While the Stonewall Uprising was not the first time the community fought back against oppression, those six days of confrontations with police — which began in the early hours of June 28, 1969 — marked a new, and global, era in the fight for LGBTQ equality. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024

Her later movies Angry Harvest, about state oppression, and In Darkness, also about the Holocaust, were also Oscar-nominated. —Caroline Frost, Deadline, 17 June 2024

The move by Newsom, five years after offering a formal apology to California peoples for a century of genocide, neglect and oppression, creates a roadmap for re-engagement with all tribes. —Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English oppressioun, borrowed from Anglo-French oppression, borrowed from Latin oppressiōn-, oppressiō "action of pressing on or overpowering," from oppres- or *oppret-, variant stem of opprimere "to press on, stifle, overpower" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at oppress

First Known Use

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

Kids Definition

oppression

noun

op·​pres·​sion ə-ˈpresh-ən 

1

: cruel or unjust use of authority or power

2

: a feeling of low spirits

Legal Definition

oppression

noun

op·​pres·​sion ə-ˈpre-shən 

: an unjust or excessive exercise of power: as

a

: unlawful, wrongful, or corrupt exercise of authority by a public official acting under color of authority that causes a person harm

b

: dishonest, unfair, wrongful, or burdensome conduct by corporate directors or majority shareholders that entitles minority shareholders to compel involuntary dissolution of the corporation

c

: inequality of bargaining power resulting in one party's lack of ability to negotiate or exercise meaningful choice see also unconscionability

oppressive

ə-ˈpre-siv 

adjective