oppress

[ uh-pres ]
See synonyms for: oppressoppressedoppressingoppressor on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power: a people oppressed by totalitarianism.

  2. to lie heavily upon (the mind, a person, etc.): Care and sorrow oppressed them.

  1. to weigh down, as sleep or weariness does.

  2. Archaic. to put down; subdue or suppress.

  3. Archaic. to press upon or against; crush.

Origin of oppress

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English oppressen, from Middle French oppresser, from Medieval Latin oppressāre, derivative of Latin oppressus, past participle of opprimere “to squeeze, suffocate,” equivalent to op- “to, toward, against” + -primere (combining form of premere ) “to press”; see origin at op-, press1

synonym study For oppress

1, 2. Oppress, depress, both having the literal meaning to press down upon, to cause to sink, are today mainly limited to figurative applications. To oppress is usually to subject (a people) to burdens, to undue exercise of authority, and the like; its chief application, therefore, is to a social or political situation: a tyrant oppressing his subjects. Depress suggests mainly the psychological effect, upon the individual, of unpleasant conditions, situations, etc., that sadden and discourage: depressed by the news. When oppress is sometimes used in this sense, it suggests a psychological attitude of more complete hopelessness: oppressed by a sense of failure.

Other words for oppress

Opposites for oppress

Other words from oppress

  • op·press·i·ble, adjective
  • op·pres·sor, noun
  • pre·op·press, verb (used with object)
  • re·op·press, verb (used with object)
  • un·op·press·i·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with oppress

Words Nearby oppress

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use oppress in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for oppress

oppress

/ (əˈprɛs) /


verb(tr)
  1. to subjugate by cruelty, force, etc

  2. to afflict or torment

  1. to lie heavy on (the mind, imagination, etc)

  2. an obsolete word for overwhelm

Origin of oppress

1
C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin oppressāre, from Latin opprimere, from ob- against + premere to press

Derived forms of oppress

  • oppressingly, adverb
  • oppressor, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012