OPPRESS Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'oppress' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of oppress are aggrieve , persecute , and wrong . While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform. // a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

Q: When could 'aggrieve' be used to replace 'oppress'?

In some situations, the words aggrieve and oppress are roughly equivalent. However, aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights. // a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

Q: When might 'persecute' be a better fit than 'oppress'?

Although the words persecute and oppress have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering. // a child persecuted by constant criticism

Q: When is it sensible to use 'wrong' instead of 'oppress'?

While the synonyms wrong and oppress are close in meaning, wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves. // a penal system that had wronged him

oppress

verb

ə-ˈpres

Definition of oppress

as in to depress

to make sad this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb oppress differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of oppress are aggrieve, persecute, and wrong. While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

When could aggrieve be used to replace oppress?

In some situations, the words aggrieve and oppress are roughly equivalent. However, aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

When might persecute be a better fit than oppress?

Although the words persecute and oppress have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

When is it sensible to use wrong instead of oppress?

While the synonyms wrong and oppress are close in meaning, wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of oppress Man oppressed woman legally, economically, socially, educationally, morally, professionally and religiously. — Brian Delay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026 Your structure sorts the whole world into two boxes, oppressor and oppressed. — Joyce Kamanitz, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026 In other words, if Jay-Z’s ascent becomes shorthand for Black progress, then the critique of the system that continues to oppress those at the margins starts to fade. — Jabari M. Evans, The Conversation, 24 June 2026 The album is both plea, polemic and protest, but its argument — that oppressed and working people deserve rights and dignity, and that those things have historically been won through rebellion and revolution — is hardly radical. — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for oppress

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress

Verb

That's also depressing consumer sentiment and squeezing people coping with higher prices, according to economists.

— Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
Hall-effect switches come in 3-pin or 5-pin varieties, and the polarity of the switch’s magnet must be compatible with the PCB’s sensors, or depressing the switch may not trigger the sensor beneath it.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of depress

Verb

Bettany is by turns hilariously perplexed, in the universal manner of parents engaging with teens everywhere, and achingly tender, in the more unusual way of a robot letting himself be overwhelmed by feeling for the first time.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Clashes last week between armed groups from rival communities in the central part of South Sudan left scores of people dead and overwhelmed a hospital with wounded people, officials said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of overwhelm

Verb

Because Sand has not served in a legislative capacity, he isn’t burdened by a controversial voting record on leftist policies, as is Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, who is also trying to flip a red state seat.

— Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
There are many reasons why women do not feel able to speak up, with the top one, at 52 percent, being their not wanting to burden others.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of burden

Verb

Hundreds of thousands of women were tried, tortured, and executed for witchcraft in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
According to Bilal and his brother Judy, neither Ahmed nor anyone else in his family had ever been arrested or tortured by the regime.

— Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of torture

Verb

For now, the study identifies a previously underappreciated part of the immune system that could help overcome one of SCLC’s most persistent defenses.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
But Gordon has emerged as Miami’s clear lead back, capable of overcoming a poor situation.

— Dalton Del Don, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of overcome

Verb

Al Jardine, a fellow Beach Boys co-founder who tours in a separate group and has sharply criticized Love’s behavior in the past, is saddened about how his former friend arrived at this point.

— Devon Ivie, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Many in the arts community are saddened and concerned about losing Robert Rauschenberg’s former New York home and studio, which has served as an exhibition and research site.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of sadden

Verb

Many of those concerns have centered on the often-troubling biases programmed into AI platforms.

— Jakob McWhinney, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
And some Pac-12 teams emerging through the first half of the season could trouble the Broncos, such as Oregon State and Colorado State.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of trouble

Browse Nearby Words

oppositions

oppress

oppressed

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of oppress

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fervid

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes