op·pres·sion

[uh-presh-uhn]
noun
1.
the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
2.
an act or instance of oppressing.
3.
the state of being oppressed.
4.
the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English oppressioun < Middle French < Latin oppressiōn- (stem of oppressiō) a pressing down, equivalent to oppress(us) (see oppress) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
non·op·pres·sion, noun
pre·op·pres·sion, noun
self-op·pres·sion, noun

Synonyms
1. tyranny, despotism, persecution. 3, 4. hardship, suffering.

Antonyms
1. kindness, justice.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Oppression is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
oppression (əˈprɛʃən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the act of subjugating by cruelty, force, etc or the state of being subjugated in this way
2.  the condition of being afflicted or tormented
3.  the condition of having something lying heavily on one's mind, imagination, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

oppression
mid-14c., "cruel or unjust use of power or authority," from Fr. oppression (12c.), from L. oppressionem (nom. oppressio), noun of action from pp. stem of opprimere (see oppress). Meaning "action of weighing on someone's mind or spirits" is from late 14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Oppression and the violence it spawns have destroyed many, but by no means all.
Millions more are agricultural workers trapped in an inescapable cycle of
  extreme poverty, illiteracy, and oppression.
It's simply a spontaneous uprising of people against despotism, because of more
  than two decades of oppression.
The oppression of the thought that all feeling was dead within me, was gone.
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