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
-
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
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One of his non-Jewish primary opponents, Palm Coast City Council member Charles Gambaro, harshly criticized Fine’s Gaza remarks and declared that Gambaro, too, would seek AIPAC’s endorsement.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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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
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The time is never right to severely chop off your crape myrtle.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
But those guards fell crashing down on Wednesday night in a brutally honest assessment of his team following Boise State’s (9-6, 1-3 Mountain West) 75-58 home loss to Grand Canyon (9-5, 2-1) at ExtraMile Arena.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
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The result was over a century of catastrophe, not just for ordinary Europeans but also for the people of numerous African countries that were colonized, often brutally.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppressively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressively. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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