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

First, students are primed through exposure to narratives that depict a binary world of oppressors and oppressed. —Kevin Waldman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025

Remember Mandela, who rose from the ashes of prison to become the president of South Africa, a country that had oppressed him and his people for decades. —Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Kimber Elayne Sprawl also wows as Iago’s defiant wife Emilia, who becomes increasingly jaded over the ways in which women are oppressed and degraded. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2025

Obviously, this is a time when in India and beyond, Muslims are being severely oppressed, and in Pakistan, religious minorities—Hindus, Christians, Ismailis, and Shias—are being oppressed. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for oppress

• abbess
• abscess
• access
• address
• assess
• caress
• confess
• depress
• digress
• distress
• egress
• excess

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