oppressive

adjective

op·​pres·​sive ə-ˈpre-siv 

1

: unreasonably burdensome or severe

oppressive legislation

oppressive taxes

the oppressive power of corporations and Wall Street

—Jim Hightower

2

: tyrannical

an oppressive government

3

: overwhelming or depressing to the spirit or senses

an oppressive climate

the dusty drabness that was oppressive in its uneventfulness

—Geoffrey Moorhouse

oppressively adverb

oppressiveness noun

Synonyms of oppressive

• harsh
• brutal
• tough
• searing
• severe
• cruel
• hard
• rough
• burdensome

Choose the Right Synonym for oppressive

onerous, burdensome, oppressive, exacting mean imposing hardship.

onerous stresses being laborious and heavy especially because distasteful.

the onerous task of cleaning up the mess

burdensome suggests causing mental as well as physical strain.

burdensome responsibilities

oppressive implies extreme harshness or severity in what is imposed.

the oppressive tyranny of a police state

exacting implies rigor or sternness rather than tyranny or injustice in the demands made or in the one demanding.

an exacting employer

Examples of oppressive in a Sentence

The country is ruled by an oppressive regime.

I think these laws are oppressive.

This region suffers from oppressive heat in the summer months.

The situation was extremely tense; no one said a word, and the silence was oppressive.

Recent Examples on the Web

But quarterback Patrick Mahomes, limping at times and looking out of sorts, was harassed all night by the Texans' oppressive defense. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

He’ll likely also be asked to explain why charters have massively increased in value in recent years—an increase that has directly benefited owners like Jordan—if NASCAR is so oppressive. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Dec. 2025

The director refrains from forcing any grand epiphanies on the characters, instead exposing the oppressive systems that form their decision-making and complicate even the most basic of interactions. —Stephen Saito, Variety, 5 Dec. 2025

Rather than look at the pressure that comes with football’s most important position as oppressive, Purdy channeled his more playful side in Sunday’s 26-8 win over the Cleveland Browns. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French oppressif, borrowed from Medieval Latin oppressīvus, from Latin oppressus, past participle of opprimere "to press on, stifle, overpower" + -īvus -ive — more at oppress

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oppressive

• aggressive
• compressive
• concessive
• depressive
• excessive
• expressive
• impressive
• obsessive
• possessive
• progressive
• recessive
• regressive

Kids Definition

oppressive

adjective

op·​pres·​sive ə-ˈpres-iv 

1

: cruel or harsh without just cause

oppressive taxes

2

: causing a feeling of oppression

oppressive heat

oppressively adverb

oppressiveness noun