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
Merchants were making a killing buying, selling and oppressing people.
—
Tanya Talaga
july 24, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
Doing so was, for the Amin regime, a way of claiming a morally essential role: liberator of Africa’s hitherto oppressed people.
—Derek R. Peterson, The Conversation, 18 July 2025
One island off the coast of South Korea may have blown up, but no one will stop the wealthy from oppressing and crushing the poor.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 28 June 2025
In Liberia, especially, the Peace Corps volunteers were repulsed by the ways that Americo-Liberians — the descendants of the Black Americans who founded the country — oppressed indigenous ethnic groups.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Daily News, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Tanya Talaga
july 24, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
Doing so was, for the Amin regime, a way of claiming a morally essential role: liberator of Africa’s hitherto oppressed people.
—Derek R. Peterson, The Conversation, 18 July 2025
One island off the coast of South Korea may have blown up, but no one will stop the wealthy from oppressing and crushing the poor.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 28 June 2025
In Liberia, especially, the Peace Corps volunteers were repulsed by the ways that Americo-Liberians — the descendants of the Black Americans who founded the country — oppressed indigenous ethnic groups.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Daily News, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress
Verb
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His digital life is just as organized—a fact that never fails to amaze (and slightly depress) me.—
Dan Rockmore,
New Yorker,
9 Aug. 2025
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The fallout of black swan events like wars and pandemics can trigger higher interest rates, increase inflationary pressures, depress economic growth, erode investor confidence and depreciate the value of money.—
Mitch Salchow,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Earlier this month, Laureano talked about how being traded once and released multiple times has helped him not be overwhelmed by the circumstances of a new environment.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
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Residents say the building, once an anchor in the Metcalfe Park neighborhood, has been overwhelmed by trespassers and disrepair.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As the Western story triumphed on all fronts, it was increasingly burdened with a melancholy nostalgia.—
Paul Andrew Hutton
August 22,
Literary Hub,
22 Aug. 2025
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Anecdotal evidence and the experience of countless Americans across the country strongly suggest that State laws and regulations can significantly burden commerce in other States, raising costs unnecessarily and harming markets nationwide.—
Alden Abbott,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For a local New Orleans community, trends like this reflect two decades of regrowth after Hurricane Katrina devastated our city.—
Katy Reckdahl,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
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Families devastated as disturbing details emerge about shooter 2.—
,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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White men kidnapped, tortured, shot, and dumped him in a river for whistling at a white shopkeeper.—
Debbie Elliott,
NPR,
28 Aug. 2025
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The president has eight months to be able to torture Powell and torment Fed heads for not resigning.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Pointing to a legal analysis weighing reasons why the FTC's antitrust claims might not hold up in court, Olson suggested that the FTC is unlikely to overcome constitutional protections and win its ad war on the merits.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
22 Aug. 2025
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If the injury bug becomes too much for the 49ers and/or Rams to overcome — and that's happened before — these two will be right there to take advantage.—
Austin Mock,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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You’ll be engrossed and saddened by the backstory to Jason Kaminsky, the one-time Nottingham Forest prospect who suffered from alcoholism and died in 2005, aged just 31.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
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That’s like showing up at SeaWorld and expecting not to get wet or saddened by seeing majestic animals in cages.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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While Wolves did not trouble them too much on Saturday, their pre-season game against Palermo and Club World Cup defeat to Al Hilal – in which centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly scored from a corner in extra time – exposed similar frailties.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
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The market continues to trouble many on Wall Street, however.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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