as in unemotional
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Recent Examples of repressive
While the need to fund public services is essential, the burden of Colorado’s property taxes on homeowners borders on the repressive.
—
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
Even the libertarian president of Argentina, Javier Milei, came all the way from South America to laud Orbán, a man who has built one of Europe’s most centralized and repressive societies.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
At great personal risk, Hadi connected me with dissidents, political prisoners, and their relatives, who all described their plights as the regime’s repressive campaign escalated in the weeks leading up to the war.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, sectarian violence, terrorist groups and a civil war have ravaged Syria, whose dictator, Bashar al-Assad, fled in 2024 after two plus-decades of repressive rule.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
The military campaign against Iran has managed to decapitate a repressive and brutal regime.
—Ghassan E. El-Eid, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Perhaps that is the sort of repressive quality the demons feed off.
—Charlie Harding, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Both were part of sports teams representing repressive regimes.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In the case of Brazil, the militaries who led the repressive apparatus of the dictatorship got away with torture and murder through a 1979 amnesty law.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 28 Mar. 2026
Even the libertarian president of Argentina, Javier Milei, came all the way from South America to laud Orbán, a man who has built one of Europe’s most centralized and repressive societies.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
At great personal risk, Hadi connected me with dissidents, political prisoners, and their relatives, who all described their plights as the regime’s repressive campaign escalated in the weeks leading up to the war.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, sectarian violence, terrorist groups and a civil war have ravaged Syria, whose dictator, Bashar al-Assad, fled in 2024 after two plus-decades of repressive rule.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
The military campaign against Iran has managed to decapitate a repressive and brutal regime.
—Ghassan E. El-Eid, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
Perhaps that is the sort of repressive quality the demons feed off.
—Charlie Harding, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Both were part of sports teams representing repressive regimes.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In the case of Brazil, the militaries who led the repressive apparatus of the dictatorship got away with torture and murder through a 1979 amnesty law.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repressive
Adjective
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While Clark was prone to long, unwieldy answers to questions, Meyer is pretty concise and unemotional in his responses.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Forbes.com,
22 Feb. 2026
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The reason why is that all of their star players behaved like Aztec alumnus Kawhi Leonard: unemotional, robotic freaks who do not care about anything other than basketball.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
After a short stint in the SEC Tournament, losing to Oklahoma in unimpressive fashion, the Aggies (21-10, 11-7) still secured their spot in the South Region in the upcoming national tournament.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Mar. 2026
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However, fruit trees that are growing slowly or that produce unimpressive harvests may need fertilizer from time to time to boost their growth and enhance fruiting and flowering.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Repressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repressive. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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