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 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
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
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In a follow-up study, highly attractive female fitness influencers faced stronger backlash than equally attractive men, perhaps reflecting a broader social tendency to judge women’s looks more harshly.—
Abby Frank,
The Conversation,
5 Nov. 2025
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The Next Gen Stats model graded the decision even more harshly, a 7% dip in win probability.—
Sam McDowell
November 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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In August, a group of Palestinian children who had been severely injured in the war in Gaza arrived in San Francisco after the State Department issued around two hundred temporary visas for medical treatment.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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The administration has slashed funding for federal and university research and severely restricted visas for foreign scientists and technologists.—
LAEL BRAINARD,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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The group, originally led by Seth Rollins, brutally betrayed him, which was used to write Rollins off television after an injury forced him to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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On a brutally hot day this summer, my friend Max met up with his family at a playground.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppressively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressively. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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