as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
suffered a lingering oppression in the weeks after his dog died
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Recent Examples of oppression
For those whose trauma took the form of compounded, constant oppression, its aftermath will look a bit different.
—
Katie Simon, Vogue, 29 July 2025
Robeson put the problem of Black American oppression in the context of international relations and suggested that if the US government couldn’t stop lynchings, foreign nations should intervene to protect Black citizens.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 1 Aug. 2025
While global headlines fixate on Iran’s nuclear program or its regional power plays, another crisis rages just beneath the surface, the oppression of Afghan refugees and ethnic minorities within Iran.
—Jila Andalib, Hartford Courant, 28 July 2025
For Palestinians, who live under the crushing weight of Israeli occupation, there is no debate: the systemic oppression of a people has no place in any democracy.
—Tariq Habash, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppression
Katie Simon, Vogue, 29 July 2025
Robeson put the problem of Black American oppression in the context of international relations and suggested that if the US government couldn’t stop lynchings, foreign nations should intervene to protect Black citizens.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 1 Aug. 2025
While global headlines fixate on Iran’s nuclear program or its regional power plays, another crisis rages just beneath the surface, the oppression of Afghan refugees and ethnic minorities within Iran.
—Jila Andalib, Hartford Courant, 28 July 2025
For Palestinians, who live under the crushing weight of Israeli occupation, there is no debate: the systemic oppression of a people has no place in any democracy.
—Tariq Habash, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppression
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppression
Noun
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Tamura suffered from depression, insomnia, migraines and lingering symptoms from a concussion from a sports injury, his mother said.—
Amanda Jackson,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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Forecasters upped its chances of developing into a tropical depression to a 40% shot in the next seven days and a 10% shot in the next two days, as of Tuesday morning.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
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More often than not, the film’s nostalgia is sweet and enjoyable because it is paired with the melancholy that comes from all the acknowledgments of the actors from the original who died over the last 29 years.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
Noun
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On the OpenAI community forums and Reddit, long-time chatters are expressing sorrow at losing access to models like GPT-4o.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
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As images of starving children in Gaza continue to circulate and the international outcry grows louder, a number of American rabbis used their pulpits to speak up about the humanitarian crisis, some with sorrow, others with moral urgency, and many with a sense that silence was no longer tenable.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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As the hours pass, the anguish of the families and their fellow miners has increased.—
Cristopher Ulloa,
CNN Money,
2 Aug. 2025
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The passage of time may increase the anguish of self-examination, but the search for truth is always worth the cost.—
Gary Knight,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppression. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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