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
But for now, we’re stuck in a ratchet, where violent losers copy one another, and their deeds become an excuse to oppress the rest of us.
—
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Anyone who’s in power can barely resist the urge to oppress people with less power.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 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
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Anyone who’s in power can barely resist the urge to oppress people with less power.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 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
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress
Verb
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This sounds like depressing stuff, and Mothertongue is not extremely upbeat.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
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China has historically been the largest export market for American soybeans, so the embargo has significantly depressed American soybean prices for the past few months.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Those skills will likely overwhelm just about every competitor this trio faces this season.—
Sam Vecenie,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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And even if a few curve balls come in, that doesn’t necessarily overwhelm me.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Advocates say the push burdens states with duplicative verification checks and could lead people to lose coverage just for missing paperwork deadlines.—
Phil Galewitz,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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The researchers wanted to understand how moment-to-moment social experiences, especially with friends, might act as a buffer against loneliness, and whether this effect depends on how burdened caregivers feel.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Last year’s devastating drought in the Amazon Basin was made 30 times more likely by climate change, according to a report from World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists that analyze extreme weather events.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Earlier this year, California’s devastating Eaton Fire destroyed much of Altadena, a diverse, creative community just north of Pasadena.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Among those highlighted will be Amanda, a refugee and the first Miss Trans Global Uganda; Sarah, who overcame sight loss to support LGBTQ+ people with disabilities while running marathons; and Leo, a speaker and life coach with dyskinetic cerebral palsy.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
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Fortunately, modern nandina cultivars like 'Lemon-Lime' from the Southern Living Plant Collection have been bred to overcome these problems.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Saraswathi Vedam is saddened by the latest delay, but said her brother remains patient.—
Maryclaire Dale,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
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Lue was saddened to learn his good friend, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, was arrested and charged by federal authorities with money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But people all over the country are increasingly troubled by our government’s lack of fairness and due process and want to do something about it.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
25 Oct. 2025
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That last hurdle, safely landing a SpaceX Starship HLS (Human Landing System) spacecraft, carrying two astronauts, upright on the moon, particularly troubles Green.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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