OPPRESSING Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

oppressing

verb

present participle of oppress

as in torturing

to make sad this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 oppressing Claiming that other people expressing their civil rights is oppressing them, and politicizing what are supposed to be non-partisan parts of how the government works on the state and federal level. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 Norway was itself a colonizer, and programs oppressing indigenous cultures and languages were in place well into the 1960s. — Ola Morris Innset, The Dial, 2 June 2026 Having been raised not too far from similarly-minded environs, this Turkish critic knows that keeping a pure and noble familial slate in patriarchy often means oppressing women. — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 May 2026 Israel has been grievously oppressing people in its area who are not Jewish. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026 Underlying such obvious acts of aggression lies an insidious tendency for transnational repression to flow from despots into democracies, oppressing lawyers of all nationalities in the process. — Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressing

Verb

Tennessee recently paused the practice after prisoner Christa Pike, who was convicted of torturing and killing a classmate in 1995, survived two rounds of a botched lethal injection.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026
The latest season, currently being aired, depicts a fictional Chinese intelligence agency capturing and torturing some of the Japanese spies.

— Reuters, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of torturing

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 depressing

Verb

This approach offers a bold personal statement without overwhelming or darkening the entire room.

— Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 3 Nov. 2026
These two areas occupy nearly the entire length of the home and offer the space needed to accommodate large parties without overwhelming smaller gatherings.

— James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of overwhelming

Verb

His research found that brands frequently engage in unfair purchasing practices with Bangladeshi suppliers, burdening them with additional costs and squeezing their profit margins.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
The policy could have affected legally present immigrants, Temporary Protected Status holders and DACA recipients, while burdening underfunded agencies and deterring families from seeking help.

— Moriah Balingit, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of burdening

Verb

The story here is about the strange relationships that form in the wake of devastating loss, and an examination of the unpredictable, messy and confusing connections often found between people experiencing grief.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Just one week after devastating flooding across southwest Colorado, another powerful storm is moving in.

— Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of devastating

Verb

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

— Jakob McWhinney, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Troubleshooting Tips If your Venus flytrap looks unwell, but is otherwise well watered, here’s what may be troubling your plant.

— Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of troubling

Verb

Miami responded with an 80-yard drive to retake their lead, 24-21, but UNC continued to fight on while crushing clock heading into the fourth quarter.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
For working people, patient care coordinators and families who rely on this crossing for their daily commutes, this toll is a crushing financial burden rather than a solution to traffic.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of crushing

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“Oppressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressing. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of oppressing

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