1
as in torturing
to make sad
this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overcoming
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 oppressing
In Russia, Cuba, Iran, Belarus, and Uganda, dictatorships have carried on for decades—oppressing and killing their people, attacking their neighbors, and destabilizing their regions.
—
Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Now, the Franciscan missionaries oppressing the Native Americans in the painting had arrows piercing their heads and bodies.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Now, the Franciscan missionaries oppressing the Native Americans in the painting had arrows piercing their heads and bodies.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressing
Verb
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Draughan was arraigned Thursday on two counts of second-degree killing/torturing animals, one count of felony firearms, one count of cruelty to an animal resulting in the animal's death, and one count of abandoning animals.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Ida, meanwhile, is a crime society floozy in 1930s Great Depression Chicago, an escort to a coterie of goombahs who take to mentally torturing her over dinner and drinks in a speakeasy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Whether a brave, thrilling but ultimately unsuccessful attempt at overcoming a seemingly impossible target of 254 to beat India and reach the T20 World Cup final will be enough to make up for England’s desperately disappointing winter.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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His big struggle was overcoming the same challenge most pitchers face after a long layoff.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Reeves had hoped her statement to the House of Commons would be a relatively low-key affair, but economists are warning that the Iran war could upend the forecasts, depressing growth, stoking inflation and increasing debt.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Incarceration certainly plays a key role in depressing voter turnout, which lags, in no small part, because felony convictions have made so many people ineligible.—
Kevin B. Smith,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Hull’s statement says MacPherson’s, the largest distributor of art supplies in North America, filed for bankruptcy, throwing the supply chain into chaos and overwhelming the only remaining distributor.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2026
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As her maximalist decor evolved, what once was fun and energizing turned into visual clutter, the term for what happens when too many objects, colors, shapes or details compete for attention, overwhelming the brain.—
Jolie Kerr,
Washington Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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True enough, and that’s because lawmakers have insisted on throwing money at problems by burdening Californians with some of the highest taxes in the country.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
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Tariffs are taxes burdening the movement of goods while imposing inefficiencies into the marketplace.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Most businesses are open and welcoming customers following January’s devastating Palisades Fire.—
Tim Chester,
Robb Report,
5 Mar. 2026
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Through the implementation of strong border policies, fentanyl trafficking across the southern border has been slashed in half, leading to fewer overdose deaths devastating American families.—
Gabe Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Scientists may have solved a cosmic mystery that has been troubling them since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) began observations back in 2022.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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China is poised to win great swathes of the booming European EV market and that is troubling the automakers.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His win in Istanbul in 2019 represented a crushing blow to Erdogan, whose own political ascent began as the city’s mayor.—
Beril Akman,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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For too many New Yorkers, a single emergency can mean eviction or crushing debt.—
Tiffany Caban,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressing. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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