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

But, when the Evil Queen takes over, her dark manner and heavy-handed leadership oppress the people. —Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 Mar. 2025

That is not a typo—Saudi Arabia, the regime that oppressed Rahaf and millions of other women as a matter of state policy, is in charge of monitoring the rights of women worldwide. —Agustina Vergara Cid, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2025

The orthodoxy of a previous administration required the terminology; the orthodoxy of the new one has ended the students’ education and forced them to return to the country that oppressed them. —George Packer, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025

For millennia, people in power have oppressed their subjects by exploiting the narrowness and fragility of the neck – a dark history of dominating and terrorizing one another using shackles, nooses and guillotines. —Kent Dunlap, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 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