as in tyrants
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of oppressors
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
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
Much of progressive ideological frameworks tend to divide the world into oppressors and oppressed.
—Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 18 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
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
Much of progressive ideological frameworks tend to divide the world into oppressors and oppressed.
—Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressors
Noun
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This president, who called his treasonous supporters to arms, wants our tax dollars to compensate these tyrants.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
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Because, after all, as in all of Haber’s novels, the point is not really what is happening in the world but what is happening in the mind—in this case the mind of the pettiest of tyrants.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Russian athletes are routinely asked to answer for the actions of their government, yet athletes from other countries are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny or treated as though they are personally aligned with war criminals or dictators.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
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Blatter also suggested that Infantino, like a lot of dictators, has started acting withdrawn.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppressors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressors. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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