as in persecuted
suffering grave abuse or injustice at the hands of one in authority
setting out on a quixotic quest to right wrongs and to raise up the oppressed peoples of the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in depressed
to make sad
this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overwhelmed
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 oppressed
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Additionally, Childress and her friends believed in the liberation of oppressed people both worldwide and in the United States.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Nov. 2025
When, in reality, not that all Jews have money, but the reality is, for 3000 years, white people who were male and female, had money and didn't have money, were being brutally oppressed.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressed
Adjective
Forget Martha’s Vineyard, poor oppressed victim Ayanna be scooping up Nantucket beachfront.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Additionally, Childress and her friends believed in the liberation of oppressed people both worldwide and in the United States.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
When, in reality, not that all Jews have money, but the reality is, for 3000 years, white people who were male and female, had money and didn't have money, were being brutally oppressed.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressed
Verb
-
Goldschmidt wasn’t sure about Witt’s power, thinking it might be depressed at Kauffman Stadium.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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As labor supply remains weak, demand is also being depressed by elevated policy uncertainty and past over-hiring, with AI adoption poised to weigh on payrolls too.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the early morning of July 4, 2025, flooding triggered by unrelenting rain that overwhelmed the Guadalupe River swept away dozens of girls at the historic camp.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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However, the scale of the programming often overwhelmed the logistics.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Arsenal’s talisman has not had the easiest of seasons himself, troubled by hamstring and then hip injuries, searching for a crisp rhythm after major surgery last year.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
But Bird was troubled in Bloomington from the start.—
Keith O'Brien,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mission accomplished, with Celebrini initially devastated at the defeat.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The other three members were, of course, devastated.—
Mark Richardson,
Pitchfork,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The mother of Tilly Servin, a toddler who prosecutors believe was tortured to death in Long Beach last year, is suing Los Angeles County’s child protection agency for leaving her daughter in the custody of the child’s father, who was previously sentenced to four years in prison for child abuse.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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Some detainees are tortured to get information about other protesters or to get confessions, usually admitting to working with foreign governments, which are often televised, according to Aban, who has documented over 300 confessions carried in various state media outlets since the protests began.—
Babak Dehghanpisheh,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Showtime Lakers faced those fears and overcame them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points, Jalen Brunson had 20 and the New York Knicks overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 108-106 on Saturday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Following the 2008 recession, the company was burdened by high real estate costs and struggling to keep up with changing ways of shopping.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
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What before was a straightforward process almost entirely paid for by insurance or public dollars is likely to become burdened by more paperwork, higher out-of-pocket costs, and fewer choices.—
Sophia Newcomer,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tipped over at intersections, crushed by snowplows in parking lots, waiting alone at bus stops.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Iranians across the country are still reeling with shock, grief and fear after the earlier protests were crushed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen under the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressed. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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