oppression

[ uh-presh-uhn ]

noun

1. the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.

   Synonyms: persecution, despotism, tyranny

   Antonyms: justice, kindness

2. an act or instance of oppressing or subjecting to cruel or unjust impositions or restraints.
3. the state of being oppressed.

   Synonyms: suffering, hardship

4. the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.

   Synonyms: suffering, hardship

oppression

/ əˈprɛʃən /

noun

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

Other Words From

• nonop·pression noun
• preop·pression noun
• self-op·pression noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of oppression¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English oppressioun, from Middle French, from Latin oppressiōn-, stem of oppressiō “a pressing down,” equivalent to oppress(us) “pressed down” + -iō noun suffix; oppress, -ion

Example Sentences

So… the nation was struggling with how to assimilate their new freedom with the oppression of the past.

From Ozy

He gave his supporters a sense of belonging, a shared sense of oppression from those in positions of power and influence.

From Washington Post

Help them accept non-closure, both because the event is evolving hourly and because it is representative of larger systems of oppression that have been operating in our country for generations.

From Fortune

It doesn’t treat the United States as an unvarying force for freedom or oppression but as an arena where worldviews compete.

From Washington Post

This needs conscious change, and that will take as much effort as any other fight against systematic oppression.

From MIT Technology Review

The reason we were liberals is we were against oppression.

From The Daily Beast

They are to face oppression with humble persistence and absolute conviction.

From The Daily Beast

Jundullah and Jaish ul Adl sprang up “in reaction to that kind of oppression,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

If anything, every new religion emerged at least in part as a protest against violence and oppression.

From The Daily Beast

But for many Muslim women, religion is seen as a source of liberation rather than a source of oppression.

From The Daily Beast

He was able to make peace with the Chinese emperor, and under his rule the Koreans enjoyed freedom from war and oppression.

From Project Gutenberg

At the time of his birth, the rulers of the country were very unpopular because of their wickedness and oppression of the people.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a thing invented by the great to enable them to pursue the grinding and oppression of the small.

From Project Gutenberg

And the fact must be insisted upon, that all religion, in its very nature, makes for persecution and oppression.

From Project Gutenberg

Blood-shed, oppression, extortion, and all the instinctive habits of the shrewd savage were again rife.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• abuse
• brutality
• coercion
• cruelty
• despotism
• dictatorship
• domination
• injustice
• maltreatment
• persecution
• suffering
• tyranny