oppression

noun

ə-ˈpre-shən How to pronounce oppression (audio)
Definition of oppressionnext
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits suffered a lingering oppression in the weeks after his dog died

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 oppression Sometimes the oppression is more personal, as in Il Fuoco Che Ti Port Dentro, where Antonio’s larger-than-life mother visits at Christmas and sets off a showdown with her successful son. — David Bloom, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 This book perfectly encapsulates the desire to escape the oppression of being a woman by escaping being a human altogether. — S.m. Hallow, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 That premise creates an obvious opportunity to explore how oppression is normalized differently across communities. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026 The rapper Nicki Minaj, who has recently taken a political turn to the right, testified before the United Nations about the oppression of Christians. — Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oppression
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppression
  1. sadness
  2. depression
  3. melancholy
  4. sorrow
  5. anguish
  6. mournfulness
Noun
  • Despite being steeped in the sadness and frustration of the working class, Lee’s drama uses its film-within-a-film construct to refract the moral valences of labor through the prism of what people actually earn through their work.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This one, however, finds the director in a mood to confront the inevitable changes and march of time, its joys and sadness in the lives of ordinary people going about living it.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of sadness
Noun
  • Hollows haven’t been found elsewhere on planets in our solar system, and with no wind or water to form the thousands of puzzling depressions, scientists want to know what forces sculpted them.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Symptoms include fever, depression, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration.
    — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • 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
  • Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.
    — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 16 June 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • Kenyan President William Ruto expressed sorrow on behalf of his government and people.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • But as hours stretched into days with no word from them, his hope turned to sorrow.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of sorrow
Noun
  • Still, even on video, Davis doesn’t appear wracked with guilt or anguish about the possibility of spending the rest of his life in the Nevada penitentiary system.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
  • One day, Cole paged through an album whose acidic glues caused her particular anguish.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • Power Ballad should be breezy and fun, with that twist of mournfulness that Carney is always so adept at pulling off.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 May 2026
Definition of mournfulness

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oppressive
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Cite this Entry

“Oppression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppression. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on oppression

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oppression

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