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
Fortunately, this spell of hot temps will be a generally drier heat — not necessarily oppressively humid like is typical for New England.
—
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
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
This type of behavior would have seemed brazen in 2019, when trains were oppressively crowded and riders sensed their vulnerability to theft and other forms of disorder.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Apr. 2025
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
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
This type of behavior would have seemed brazen in 2019, when trains were oppressively crowded and riders sensed their vulnerability to theft and other forms of disorder.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressively
Adverb
-
Leo will find a legislature that is highly polarized, with the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hammered by a series of corruption scandals and far-right groups such as Vox harshly criticizing the Socialists’ migration policy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
-
Justin Stasiw’s soundscape wastes no time throwing the audience into Mumbai, where vehicles, whistles and rickshaws harshly yet thrillingly enter the ears.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Adverb
-
The car was severely damaged by the crash, video showed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
The impact with Bell’s Camry severely deformed the SAFER barrier, which is comprised of steel and foam to absorb energy in wrecks.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Adverb
-
In December of ‘91, Beuerlein came off the bench to fill in for injured starting quarterback Troy Aikman and led the Cowboys to an upset playoff win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on a brutally cold day on Lake Michigan.—
Mac Engel
June 4,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2026
-
In 2023, a Brazilian university student died while waiting for a brutally hot concert by the pop star.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppressively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressively. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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