as in harshly
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
forced to live under an oppressively cruel government
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Recent Examples of oppressively
The first of the four chapters is an oppressively gray-toned, narratively diffuse spy thriller, set amid the mists of what appears to be the Second World War.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
The second planet from the sun has a completely inhospitable surface, with temperatures reaching 863 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) and a crushing pressure underneath an oppressively thick atmosphere.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
On an oppressively hot Friday in July, plumes of smoke curl up from Arnolds Field.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
The second planet from the sun has a completely inhospitable surface, with temperatures reaching 863 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) and a crushing pressure underneath an oppressively thick atmosphere.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
On an oppressively hot Friday in July, plumes of smoke curl up from Arnolds Field.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressively
Adverb
-
As furious protests enter their third week and bring Iran to the precipice of change, the country’s theocratic government is trying to survive by harshly cracking down on the widening demonstrations.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
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In a press conference later in the day, Mayor Frey, 44, harshly condemned the actions of ICE in his city and pushed back against the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) claims that the agent involved in the fatal shooting acted in self defense.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
In the ninth century, a severely disabled woman was buried, her feet bound, in an annex of the church in Elsau, outside Zürich.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The time is never right to severely chop off your crape myrtle.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Shortly after release, Fuentes-Ponce and Escobar brutally murdered that young girl.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Jan. 2026
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His young colleague in the District Attorney’s office, Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve), has just been brutally murdered.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppressively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressively. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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