1
as in to depress
to make sad
this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
His follow-up to The Viral Underclass looks at what happens when members of minority groups achieve some kind of institutional power and what can happen when those white-supremacist structures are inhabited by the very people they were designed to oppress.
—
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The arrest of Maduro, while a monumental relief for the long-oppressed and abused Venezuelan populace, was incidental.
—Anthony Dominguez, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela's people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
Catholic Charities of Louisville serves those in need, especially the poor and oppressed, with a wide range of outreaches that assist neighbors of all races, backgrounds, and beliefs.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
The arrest of Maduro, while a monumental relief for the long-oppressed and abused Venezuelan populace, was incidental.
—Anthony Dominguez, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela's people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
Catholic Charities of Louisville serves those in need, especially the poor and oppressed, with a wide range of outreaches that assist neighbors of all races, backgrounds, and beliefs.
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress
Verb
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Chung Hyeon, the 2018 Australian Open semifinalist who saw Achilles and back injuries derail his career, and Kwon Soon-woo, whose ranking has been depressed by military service that prohibits his playing outside South Korea, stunning Argentina.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Instead what followed was the slow disintegration of a championship core, an inability to reclimb the mountain and the slow, depressing slide into lamenting what could have been.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Central Florida, activists still are hoping to overwhelm HLI Partners with their opposition to any sale.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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But when digital gargoyles start flying down from the ceiling, the horror-action mechanics Besson can’t help but include here overwhelm whatever intimacy his film had before.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Health care costs shouldn’t burden working families while tax breaks benefit the wealthy.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
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City officials hope to reverse that trend by revitalizing the downtown area, from attracting businesses to vacant storefronts to developing unused city sites, such as the corner lot burdened with the remains of Hotel Marysville, which was destroyed by fire in 2024.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The synthetic opioid is far more potent than heroin and has devastated communities across the country.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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In Kristin Dwyer's In Time With You (out March 3 from Wednesday Books), that's the conundrum facing Nieve Monroe, who's devastated after her boyfriend Carter dies saving her from drowning.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For years he was tortured, and finally released in 1973.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
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He’s not tortured in any way — the only person that’s holding him back is himself.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tian Feng, former dean of SenseTime’s Intelligence Industry Research Institute, revealed that the free provision of T800 robots will help smaller companies overcome research and development barriers.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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The first obstacle to overcome is to develop a computer chip that works in the extreme conditions of space, which includes exposure to much higher levels of radiation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As someone who loves reading novels, I'm saddened by this.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
3 Feb. 2026
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Nelsen said he was saddened for CapRadio and for all its listeners but hopes Reina’s arrest brings a sense of closure.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In addition to that, Americans across the political spectrum should be troubled by the president’s ongoing fixation with the 2020 presidential election.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
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This persistence troubled certain foreign powers that, at various moments, had supported the Islamic Republic in the hope of weakening Iran as a nation.—
Shahrnush Parsipur,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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