as in harsh
difficult to endure
an oppressive regime that rules through terror
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oppressive
Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research NO: Numerous major firms leave California because of the state’s oppressive regulations, taxes and operating costs.
—
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
April brings sunshine and warm waters without the oppressive heat of summer or the high-season crowds of winter.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2025
Some protesters were taken out by medics, the oppressive April heat beating them down.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Chicago sweltered through the sixth hottest June on record, according to the National Weather Service, and the oppressive heat and humidity have kept air conditioners running overtime in July as well.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
April brings sunshine and warm waters without the oppressive heat of summer or the high-season crowds of winter.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2025
Some protesters were taken out by medics, the oppressive April heat beating them down.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Chicago sweltered through the sixth hottest June on record, according to the National Weather Service, and the oppressive heat and humidity have kept air conditioners running overtime in July as well.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressive
Adjective
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The report didn’t elaborate on that treatment but studies and surveys have previously highlighted the military’s notoriously harsh conditions.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
15 Aug. 2025
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After weeks of acrimony, concern and harsh statements, the dispute over who will control the River Forest Civic Center building at 8020 W. Madison seems to be headed toward a resolution.—
Bob Skolnik,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Launch control is a wild ride, equal parts fun and brutal, as all that boost sends the V-6 screaming.—
Jonny Lieberman,
Robb Report,
16 Aug. 2025
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The course is a brutal, out-and-back journey of 100 miles through Colorado’s rugged high country, demanding over 15,000 feet of climbing.—
Jenn Nelson,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Even if increasing competition and financial obstruction have influenced summer recruitment, making this season’s challenges tougher, the confidence in Unai Emery and Villa’s football department remains unerring.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
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Sanctions have roiled Russia's economy and Trump could use tougher measures as leverage over Putin, said Richard Portes, professor of economics at London Business School.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The pans have spacious surface areas for better searing and browning, and the cooking surface isn’t particularly sticky either.—
Wilder Davies,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 July 2025
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About a dozen have visited or have plans to make stops in the early primary states, such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, 60, who in April caught attention for delivering a searing speech in New Hampshire aimed at 'do-nothing' Democrats.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Some of the effects of oxytocin are so powerful that the hormone is being investigated as a nasal spray for physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety and autism, and severe irritability in people with disruptive behavior disorders, and disruptive mood and behavior disorders.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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Symptoms for sea lions who eat the contaminated prey reportedly include such things as lethargy, disorientation, foaming at the mouth, erratic behavior, seizures and, in severe cases, death.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That is a particularly egregious example of how the Trump Administration has been gratuitously cruel to the Sudanese.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
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Stacy, Tim’s wife, also died of pancreatic cancer five months later in February of 2024, a cruel hand for a family that for years had gone above and beyond in their efforts to raise money and awareness for cancer research.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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My mother, just beneath her skin, housed a palpable rage, and my father’s cheeks were pocked and rough from ingrown hairs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
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Battlefield 6 hype is losing a bit of steam with changes to its second beta run, involving new additions, controversial decisions and rough retreads of old modes.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressive. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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