as in harsh
difficult to endure
an oppressive regime that rules through terror
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oppressive
The exodus began in 2021, when anti-government rallies filled the streets, protesting oppressive policies and the lack of medicine and food.
—
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Thus, the project traces the societal implications of the deification of physical beauty, and how the international plastic surgery industry promotes these oppressive standards.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
The oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran has kept her away.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
The pressure and pitch-blackness no longer felt foreign or oppressive.
—Ayana Underwood, Outside, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Thus, the project traces the societal implications of the deification of physical beauty, and how the international plastic surgery industry promotes these oppressive standards.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
The oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran has kept her away.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2025
The pressure and pitch-blackness no longer felt foreign or oppressive.
—Ayana Underwood, Outside, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressive
Adjective
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The triumphant narrative began to fray when exceedingly harsh lockdown measures could no longer contain the spread of the virus, and the staggering human cost in the name of protecting lives defied all logic.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
-
There are no easy fixes, so figuring out how to cushion the harsh impact will be the basis of negotiations with other parties in the Japanese legislature, the Diet.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The scene, which was not in Stephenie Meyer's 2008 book that the movie was adapted from, raised eyebrows for its brutal killings of vampires Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli) and Jasper Hale (Jackson Rathbone), as well as werewolves Seth (Booboo Stewart) and Leah Clearwater (Julia Jones).—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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In a new era of Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, the race to own Birmingham’s massive reconstruction project becomes a brutal contest of mythical dimensions.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Lammens was perhaps fortunate to escape sanction then (Stuart Atwell booked the forward for diving), but this was a valuable occasion ahead of tougher tests, beginning at Anfield.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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There will be some tough picking in there, but typically the predicting business gets a little easier in region play.—
Tyler Palmateer,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His own divorce from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh informed his Oscar-winning Marriage Story (2019), a searing look at love unraveling.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
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And McConaughey, as a nervy reluctant hero, steers the searing, intense narrative about normal people living through the most hellish of circumstances.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Global organization Human Rights Watch accused the festival of diverting attention away from allegations of the government’s severe repression of free speech and criticized comedians for performing on the behest of an oppressive regime.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Throughout his career, Zilber helped plant millions of trees and was a part of the state's response efforts for severe weather events, including wildfires, floods and tornadoes.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s actually the cruelest thing about them.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The cold on August 27, 2011, was unprecedented—unbridled, utterly cruel.—
Mariana Enriquez
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Before referrals were halted, the effort that placed people at the Civic had already moved hard-to-reach homeless people from the street to a shelter space and, in many cases, then on to long-term housing and stability.—
Ashley Hiruko,
ProPublica,
6 Oct. 2025
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Whether the Jedi mind trick played a role Sunday is hard to quantify, but the message was obvious.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So the idea of him playing someone who’s a little rougher and grittier and just completely relentless appealed to him.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
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This medium-sized toad has large reddish-brown eyes and a rough skin texture.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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