Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective oppressive contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of oppressive are burdensome, exacting, and onerous. While all these words mean "imposing hardship," oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.

the oppressive tyranny of a police state

When can burdensome be used instead of oppressive?

In some situations, the words burdensome and oppressive are roughly equivalent. However, burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.

burdensome responsibilities

When would exacting be a good substitute for oppressive?

While the synonyms exacting and oppressive are close in meaning, exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.

an exacting employer

Where would onerous be a reasonable alternative to oppressive?

The words onerous and oppressive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.

the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oppressive Yet history provides no shortage of examples of human courage, even under the most oppressive circumstances. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025 In its first season, Andor was cinematic, grown-up, grounded, and urgent, running bold choices or ideas, like deftly examining how oppressive administrations exert their political power. Photo: Courtesy Of Netflix., Refinery29, 1 Apr. 2025 Cryptocurrency mixers can be essential tools for individuals who value privacy, including those living under oppressive regimes, journalists, whistleblowers, and businesses that require confidentiality in their transactions. Becca Bratcher, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 Coventry became the minister of sports a year after the coup that removed Mugabe in the new administration of current President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s vice president who rights groups say has continued many of Mugabe’s oppressive policies. Gerald Imray, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressive
Adjective
  • Fancy Homi Body Lumbar $20 Amazon Corduroy is an excellent way to soften otherwise rigid-looking furniture with too many harsh lines.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 14 Mar. 2025
  • First, military leaders stopped considering space as a benign environment, where threats from the harsh environment of space reign supreme.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fared better than the S & P 500 in a brutal week as investors embraced the safety of a cash-rich conglomerate while President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs wreaked havoc on Wall Street.
    Yun Li, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2025
  • With six games remaining in the regular season — and five of them coming in a brutal seven-day span — the Knicks are suddenly getting healthy at a time when workload management becomes a daily dilemma.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • After some tough matchups in the Trader Joe’s Elite Sweets Tournament, one classic emerged as the champion.
    Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2025
  • That’s likely a tough pill to swallow for Gomez, who typically launches her albums at No. 1.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Stir-frying is a method of quickly searing and cooking bite-size pieces of protein and vegetables in a splash of oil over high heat.
    Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Theron’s performance as the one-armed warrior Furiosa is one for the ages—stoic, searing and unbearably emotional beneath the surface.
    Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest.
    Alex Sundby, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2025
  • School closures abound As severe weather persisted, school districts in multiple states opted to cancel classes for the day.
    John Bacon, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Jokes that didn’t land with the squad The kids in Bad Influence say the pranks were the most cruel.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • If history provides any clues, the U.S. soybean farmers are in for a rough year.
    Ken Roberts, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • This is his first-person account of how a rough start after high school eventually led to a job at The Star and a redemptive moment while on assignment.
    Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Oppressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressive. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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