as in harsh
difficult to endure
an oppressive regime that rules through terror
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oppressive
The challenge is ensuring that leadership remains directive without becoming oppressive.
—
Dr. Samantha Madhosingh, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The results were oppressive for the city and—because D’Annunzio’s exploits won the admiration of the younger, even more ambitious Italian nationalist Benito Mussolini—catastrophic for the world.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025
When McGovern runs from a skeletal monster into a narrow, claustrophobic hallway with locked doors, the bony hands emitting from the goon’s chest aren’t as oppressive as the overall atmosphere.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The two are later reunited in the forest, where Jonathan helps open Snow White’s eyes to the plight of ordinary people under oppressive rule.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Dr. Samantha Madhosingh, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The results were oppressive for the city and—because D’Annunzio’s exploits won the admiration of the younger, even more ambitious Italian nationalist Benito Mussolini—catastrophic for the world.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025
When McGovern runs from a skeletal monster into a narrow, claustrophobic hallway with locked doors, the bony hands emitting from the goon’s chest aren’t as oppressive as the overall atmosphere.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
The two are later reunited in the forest, where Jonathan helps open Snow White’s eyes to the plight of ordinary people under oppressive rule.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressive
Adjective
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Hope reigns even in this harsh political climate we Americans are now experiencing.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Even if investors are slightly more confident this week, after Trump backed off most of his harshest tariff rates, the changes in people’s life-style habits serve as their own kind of affective barometer.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But graduating in 2009 meant stepping into a brutal job market during the Great Recession.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Over the next two years, Muhammad rang up five more victories against progressively tougher competition.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
On the other side, the Grizzlies had an even tougher time with Curry, who finished with 52 points on 16-of-31 shooting.—
Anthony Slater,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Her viral speech in Minneapolis in 2020 remains one of the most searing indictments of state violence in recent memory.—
Sughnen Yongo,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Storms in the South can topple shade trees, opening yards to the searing summer sun.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Plaintiffs and the class face severe financial and academic hardship.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
19 Apr. 2025
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The governor also recognized the extraordinary service of a former Army veteran who Newsom said faced severe struggles after serving his country.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Everybody else has no choice, really, other than to bring a cruel, narcissistic far-right leader to power.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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The cruelest part is that the good ones are mixed with the bad ones.—
Matt Rivers,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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His season started on a rough note in Australia, where a late mistake on the wet track sent him sliding off, struggling to recover and tumbling down the order.—
Kanzah Maktoum,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Two paratroopers were injured after a rough landing that was caught on video at a baseball game in Arizona.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressive. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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