OPPRESSIONS Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

oppression

noun

ə-ˈpre-shən

Definition of oppression

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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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 oppression Rooted in opposition to the oppression and discrimination of women in Iran, the movement also seeks freedom for all Iranians systemically repressed by the Islamic government. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 16 Sep. 2026 Marquina, his parents and sister moved to South Florida in 2015 as his family fled oppression and sought better opportunities outside Venezuela. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026 Nike had plenty to say about oppression when the target was the United States. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026 Into the work, esparza’s has also added a scene from the Florentine Codex showing a Spaniard whipping an Indigenous person and images of ICE raids in LA and Chicago, connecting centuries of oppression together. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oppression

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppression

Noun

Beat shows how so many of the sounds that were prevalent in the mid-’90s contained a unique, end-of-the century sadness.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
People can experience grief, sadness, relief, conflict or combinations of these emotions after any pregnancy outcome.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of sadness

Noun

In April 2022, Wynonna and Ashley’s mother, Naomi Judd, died by suicide at 76 after a lifelong battle with depression.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
The drug has been associated in recent years with high-profile figures such as Elon Musk, who said it was prescribed to him to treat depression.

— Violet Jira, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of depression

Noun

The question for me is whether or not Lloyd will also manage to capture the melancholy of a deceptively serious play, notwithstanding its reputation.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.

— Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of melancholy

Noun

Because so many of Gunn’s friends died in San Francisco, a city where Gunn had found happiness and freedom, then these elegies are also a monument to a time of communal sorrow and mourning.

— Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Another decision that those who are rejected face, at least if anger is mixed in with sorrow, is where to direct that anger.

— George Loewenstein, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of sorrow

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oppressing

oppression

oppressive

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“Oppression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppression. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of oppression

noun

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