as in tyrant
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
the dictatorship had scarcely been overthrown when the formerly oppressed suddenly abandoned their democratic ideals and became the oppressors
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Recent Examples of oppressor
Meanwhile, Annie as played by Tess Barthélémy copes in two ways with being surrounded by caricaturish oppressors.
—
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Cuba needs to be rid of its oppressors once and for all, as quickly as possible.
—Carlos Eire, Time, 23 Apr. 2026
Civil War, or an oppressor who wants to kill you.
—Mariam Khan, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
In the piece, the Vicar of Christ is felled not by his oppressors but rather by a random cosmic event.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
During the confrontation, Hussein and his followers were massacred, but the imam’s quest for justice became a defining value of Shiite identity, fostering a sense of revolutionary duty to fight oppressors at any cost.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
For Iran, what counts is resistance, against arrogant and wicked oppressors, chiefly the United States and Israel.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
That would overlook how quickly Israel’s allies can turn into tomorrow’s religious oppressors.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
Israel’s message behind the assassination campaign is clear — the Islamic regime is beyond salvaging, and Iranians need to take to the streets to help oust their oppressors themselves.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Cuba needs to be rid of its oppressors once and for all, as quickly as possible.
—Carlos Eire, Time, 23 Apr. 2026
Civil War, or an oppressor who wants to kill you.
—Mariam Khan, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
In the piece, the Vicar of Christ is felled not by his oppressors but rather by a random cosmic event.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026
During the confrontation, Hussein and his followers were massacred, but the imam’s quest for justice became a defining value of Shiite identity, fostering a sense of revolutionary duty to fight oppressors at any cost.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
For Iran, what counts is resistance, against arrogant and wicked oppressors, chiefly the United States and Israel.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
That would overlook how quickly Israel’s allies can turn into tomorrow’s religious oppressors.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
Israel’s message behind the assassination campaign is clear — the Islamic regime is beyond salvaging, and Iranians need to take to the streets to help oust their oppressors themselves.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressor
Noun
-
Jersey, a single mom, isn’t a tyrant.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Not that Eisenhower, to be fair, is presented here as quite such a tyrant.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
At a time when the United States had just abducted a Venezuelan dictator, was threatening Greenland, and was planning a war in Iran, a serious DNI would have had other priorities.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
28 May 2026
-
Dolan earned his reputation with a mix of poor team performance, uninspired front office hiring, and a reputation as a thin-skinned dictator, including banning former player Charles Oakley from Madison Square Garden and using facial recognition technology to monitor fans.—
Alex Sherman,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppressor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressor. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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