oppress

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb oppress differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of oppress are aggrieve, persecute, and wrong. While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

When could aggrieve be used to replace oppress?

In some situations, the words aggrieve and oppress are roughly equivalent. However, aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

When might persecute be a better fit than oppress?

Although the words persecute and oppress have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

When is it sensible to use wrong instead of oppress?

While the synonyms wrong and oppress are close in meaning, wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oppress But, when the Evil Queen takes over, her dark manner and heavy-handed leadership oppress the people. Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 Mar. 2025 That is not a typo—Saudi Arabia, the regime that oppressed Rahaf and millions of other women as a matter of state policy, is in charge of monitoring the rights of women worldwide. Agustina Vergara Cid, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2025 The orthodoxy of a previous administration required the terminology; the orthodoxy of the new one has ended the students’ education and forced them to return to the country that oppressed them. George Packer, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025 For millennia, people in power have oppressed their subjects by exploiting the narrowness and fragility of the neck – a dark history of dominating and terrorizing one another using shackles, nooses and guillotines. Kent Dunlap, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for oppress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress
Verb
  • This threatens to significantly depress consumer purchasing and affect the entire industry.
    Kristina Partsinevelos, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025
  • In the arithmetic of GDP, this depresses the growth rate.
    Axios, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The book was a tale of heroic resistance, but stretched across so many years of television, the bursts of rebellion were overwhelmed by long periods of suffering.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
  • In my opinion, today's consumers are overwhelmed by noise—too many offers, messages and distractions.
    Ali Payani, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Manufacturers are struggling with long-term planning, farmers are facing retaliation from Chinese buyers, and U.S. households are burdened with rising prices.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Mainstream economists have long criticized tariffs as a barrier to free trade that disproportionately burdens low-income U.S. consumers.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The floods have devastated local economies and communities.
    Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
  • In 2014, three West African countries were devastated by an Ebola outbreak that claimed more than 11,000 lives.
    Seth Berkley, Time, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The six defendants allegedly began holding a man against his will on March 14 and proceeded to torture him at a Red Roof Inn in Maumee, Ohio, according to an arrest warrant.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Eddie quickly discovers that he was lured into the vehicle by William (Anthony Hopkins), the car's wealthy sociopathic owner who tortures criminals (and mocks them over the car's phone) after a life-changing encounter with muggers.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Republicans will need Democratic support to overcome a 60-vote threshold to be able to pass the bill in the Senate.
    John Parkinson, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Prior court decisions and guidance from the Department of Justice have set up hurdles to overcome before the court is forced to overpass a reporter’s privilege to protect sources.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • School principal Robert Garcia said in a statement to community members that he is saddened about the teen’s death.
    Saleen Martin, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
  • With heavy hearts we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller.
    Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Uncertainty around the mounting trade war has troubled markets lately, sending stocks lower to begin the year.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The last week-and-a-half has been a blast and she’s played like someone who can compete against and trouble the elite.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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