1
as in to depress
to make sad
this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
a film about a man who is haunted and oppressed by the secrets of his past
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oppress
Now, the Franciscan missionaries oppressing the Native Americans in the painting had arrows piercing their heads and bodies.
—
Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Yet we are also invited to see the Trojans, not the native Italians, as the eastern, luxury-loving imperialist invaders who oppress a noble rustic people.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
That system brutally enforced racial segregation, which oppressed the Black majority, for 50 years before ending in 1994.
—Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
Ava Gardner was a mid-century bombshell as famous for her relationships with the likes of Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra as for her films, and by the late 1980s, when the play is set, her own star image seems to oppress her.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Yet we are also invited to see the Trojans, not the native Italians, as the eastern, luxury-loving imperialist invaders who oppress a noble rustic people.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
That system brutally enforced racial segregation, which oppressed the Black majority, for 50 years before ending in 1994.
—Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
Ava Gardner was a mid-century bombshell as famous for her relationships with the likes of Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra as for her films, and by the late 1980s, when the play is set, her own star image seems to oppress her.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress
Verb
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While renters in the city rejoiced, concerns have emerged that the freeze could depress real estate company valuations and scare off foreign investors.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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And according to an analysis from the Wharton School, the president’s alma mater, a long-term crackdown on immigration could shrink the economy by up to 1% of gross domestic product and depress wages for the typical American worker.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But courts were overwhelmed by a flood of asylum seekers—a long-standing systemic shortage exacerbated by Biden’s inclusive policies.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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And the first-half performance in Seville, as Postecoglou’s side overwhelmed a very strong Real Betis, was enough to prompt a huge sense of positivity.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Enocch Marshall’s no stranger to being cost-burdened or living paycheck-to-paycheck.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, water and wastewater operators at over 50,000 public water systems across the United States are already burdened by the complex, technical and constantly changing job of making sure their cities and towns are supplied with clean water.—
Jenna McLaughlin,
NPR,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her journey has brought her to Cloonboo, a town devastated by the Great Famine that ravaged the land between 1845 and 1852.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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Related Stories Fans were devastated to hear that Cavill was not going to continue with the series.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Finney's younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is bothered by nightmarish visions of an alpine camp, and the siblings investigate only to discover that the Grabber has found a way to torture from the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
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Prosecutors said Grimes was beaten to death and tortured, suffering from multiple lacerations to her head, two black eyes, and a broken arm, ribs and nose.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But to restore the city’s community gathering place, Sunrise Mall must overcome a wary economy and consumers’ disinterest in brick-and-mortar retail.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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In the 2023 season, however, the Panthers stunned the Eagles in a regional semifinal playoff game, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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We are deeply saddened by his passing.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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Seeing what that distance from one’s own body and mind did to my mother saddened and angered me.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rather, what troubles him are the claims that the song’s success has been manufactured.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
1 Oct. 2025
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But the financial angle troubles her further.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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