as in unemotional
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Recent Examples of repressive
In the aftermath of the attack on the group’s rescue planes, which scoured the Florida Straits in search of Cuban boaters and rafters attempting to flee the repressive Castro regime, President Bill Clinton implemented sweeping sanctions against the island.
—
Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The confusion over his arrest dampened the mood among those who hoped the interim government would give up repressive tactics.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The goal was to bypass political debate and constitutional constraints by anchoring Castro’s repressive agenda in the authority of Washington's security apparatus.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
From 1939 to 1975, the Franco dictatorship placed Spain in the grip of repressive leadership that, among other abuses of power, exerted strict censorship over the country’s cinema.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 2026
The transformation has been legal, administrative, and institutional rather than overtly repressive.
—Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Their crime was raising their voices against a repressive government that relied on brute force and surveillance of its citizens for its survival, a regime whose authority rested on force and fear.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
The randomness is the difference between a regime based on terror and a regime that is plainly repressive.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
The Iranian government—one of the most repressive regimes in the world—has long relied on accusations of collaboration with hostile foreign powers, usually the United States or Israel, to silence journalists, activists, and dissidents.
—Omid Memarian, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The confusion over his arrest dampened the mood among those who hoped the interim government would give up repressive tactics.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The goal was to bypass political debate and constitutional constraints by anchoring Castro’s repressive agenda in the authority of Washington's security apparatus.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
From 1939 to 1975, the Franco dictatorship placed Spain in the grip of repressive leadership that, among other abuses of power, exerted strict censorship over the country’s cinema.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 2026
The transformation has been legal, administrative, and institutional rather than overtly repressive.
—Alejandro Reyes, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Their crime was raising their voices against a repressive government that relied on brute force and surveillance of its citizens for its survival, a regime whose authority rested on force and fear.
—Binaifer Nowrojee, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
The randomness is the difference between a regime based on terror and a regime that is plainly repressive.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
The Iranian government—one of the most repressive regimes in the world—has long relied on accusations of collaboration with hostile foreign powers, usually the United States or Israel, to silence journalists, activists, and dissidents.
—Omid Memarian, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repressive
Adjective
-
That’s the image projected by Chicago’s pragmatic, unemotional manager, Craig Counsell, who continues to get lustily booed in his hometown.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
He is learned, frail, accomplished, absent, selfish and unemotional.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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By Strong’s uniquely high standards, her outing against Creighton was fairly unimpressive.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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Do the Raptors, who entered Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls with a 30-22 record but an unimpressive point differential and facing as difficult a remaining schedule as any team in the Eastern Conference, seem close enough to actual contention to justify that sort of move?—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Repressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repressive. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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