as in unemotional
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Recent Examples of repressive
During the repressive dictatorship, when thousands of dissenters were murdered or disappeared, standing up for one’s rights could mean jail or worse.
—
Rafael Romo, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Black South Africans detested the Springboks as a symbol of the brutally violent, repressive apartheid regime.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Vineland’s repressive villain Brock Vond ends ferried to hell by two Eastside vatos locos, while the hippie father Zoyd reunites with his daughter at an anarchist family picnic.
—John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
The decision leaves about 257,000 Venezuelans, including many in South Florida, vulnerable to being deported to a homeland deep in crisis and under the repressive governance of leader Nicolas Maduro.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
So Beijing has relied on a sophisticated cocktail of repressive policies to suppress potential dissent in Tibet, including placing three out of every four Tibetan students in colonial-style boarding schools and installing mass surveillance systems in schools and places of worship.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
In jurisdictions as disparate as Thailand, India, Pakistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe, governments are deploying repressive legal interpretations to silence free speech.
—Stephen Townley, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Kate Riley’s perceptive debut novel, Ruth, depicts the life of a woman in a repressive sect without an ounce of sanctimony.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Rafael Romo, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Black South Africans detested the Springboks as a symbol of the brutally violent, repressive apartheid regime.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Vineland’s repressive villain Brock Vond ends ferried to hell by two Eastside vatos locos, while the hippie father Zoyd reunites with his daughter at an anarchist family picnic.
—John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
The decision leaves about 257,000 Venezuelans, including many in South Florida, vulnerable to being deported to a homeland deep in crisis and under the repressive governance of leader Nicolas Maduro.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
So Beijing has relied on a sophisticated cocktail of repressive policies to suppress potential dissent in Tibet, including placing three out of every four Tibetan students in colonial-style boarding schools and installing mass surveillance systems in schools and places of worship.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
In jurisdictions as disparate as Thailand, India, Pakistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe, governments are deploying repressive legal interpretations to silence free speech.
—Stephen Townley, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Kate Riley’s perceptive debut novel, Ruth, depicts the life of a woman in a repressive sect without an ounce of sanctimony.
—Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repressive
Adjective
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Up until the 17th century, people thought dogs were little more than unemotional machines that could not feel pain, either emotional or physical.—
Dawn Kovell,
Mercury News,
19 Aug. 2025
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Becton appeared calm and unemotional about the situation, the affidavit states.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Judging by Aldean’s unimpressive stage, that Patriot Mobile money doesn’t go far.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
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Hyundai Motors India’s public offering was oversubscribed more than two times, largely by institutional investors, while retail demand was unimpressive.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Repressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repressive. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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