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

His 2021 film Rohingya centered on the world’s largest refugee camp, erected in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh to house refugees fleeing oppression and death in Myanmar. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2025

The other educator, 25-year-old Paxton Bean, is charged with official oppression and injury to a child with intentional bodily injury, a third-degree felony. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2025

Specifically she’s identified four traits that signal an overcorrection: Projecting and Scapegoating: When confronting larger systems of oppression feels overwhelming, individuals or groups redirect their frustration onto more accessible targets - their managers, and leaders. —Aparna Rae, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025

While legal challenges provided one pathway to freedom, many Black women also engaged in intellectual resistance, using poetry, memoirs, and religious expression to challenge their oppression. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for oppression

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• possession

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