oppress
oppress Lexical Profile
oppress Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To keep someone in subservience and hardship through the cruel or unjust exercise of authority.
"Throughout history, authoritarian regimes have used censorship and strict laws to oppress dissenting citizens."
To cause someone to feel distressed, anxious, or uncomfortable, as by mental burden or physical conditions.
"The heavy, humid air in the valley seemed to oppress the hikers long before the storm arrived."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Oppress' denotes the cruel or unjust exercise of external authority to keep people in subjection, whereas 'repress' and 'suppress' refer to holding back or putting an end to impulses, emotions, or rebellions.
• Rhymes for oppress
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 14th century from Old French oppresser, from Medieval Latin oppressare, a frequentative of Latin opprimere ('to press against, crush, or overwhelm'), from ob- ('against') and premere ('to press').