1
as in to depress
to make sad
this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
a film about a man who is haunted and oppressed by the secrets of his past
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oppress
And the Irish were oppressed by imperialism, for hundreds of years, and President Kennedy was an Irish Catholic.
—
Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
Israel has been grievously oppressing people in its area who are not Jewish.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
Underlying such obvious acts of aggression lies an insidious tendency for transnational repression to flow from despots into democracies, oppressing lawyers of all nationalities in the process.
—Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026
Nonprofit organizations such as International Federation of Journalists, Amnesty International, and Committee to Protect Journalists advocate on behalf of unfairly jailed and oppressed journalists worldwide.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
Israel has been grievously oppressing people in its area who are not Jewish.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
Underlying such obvious acts of aggression lies an insidious tendency for transnational repression to flow from despots into democracies, oppressing lawyers of all nationalities in the process.
—Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026
Nonprofit organizations such as International Federation of Journalists, Amnesty International, and Committee to Protect Journalists advocate on behalf of unfairly jailed and oppressed journalists worldwide.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for oppress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress
Verb
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Gartner has warned that rising memory costs will push buyers toward premium devices and depress lower-end PC and smartphone demand.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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Is the transfer portal going to depress long-term fan interest?—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Aging in ex-bourbon oak barrels adds vanilla and caramel notes without overwhelming the spirit’s lighter structure.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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To allow your anger at the cosmic unluckiness of a friend’s far-too-early passing be overwhelmed by your gratitude at the cosmic luckiness of ever having met them at all.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Internationally, however, the film’s distribution prospects rest largely on Cotillard, also burdened with the heaviest dramatic lifting to do as the stricken, unworldly protagonist who bridges the film’s two improbably connected realms.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
18 May 2026
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The comments warn that the proposal could burden complex, multi-source financings—especially projects awaiting grant or other long-term funding—and request a hearing so stakeholders can address the potential impacts.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The trouble was that the British economy was fragile—most mortgages in the UK at the time had variable rates, so raising interest rates would devastate British homeowners.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
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Sarah Konwahahawi Herne was devastated.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The French Resistance hero Jean Moulin was 44 when he was captured by the Gestapo in Lyon and tortured until his death, in July of 1943.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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For months, he was tortured before eventually escaping by following a stream.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The project comes on the heels of filmmaker Nina Lee and Will Packer discussing the rarity of You, Me & Tuscany alongside the hardships and hurdles that Black romance films must overcome in the industry from conception to funding to box office.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
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Despite the hurdles that must be overcome, many experts are pretty jazzed about the possibility of a lunar nuclear reactor.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Today many Coloradans are saddened and distressed by this unjustifiable act but not at all surprised.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
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We are saddened to learn of the passing of #BroncosROF quarterback Craig Morton, who died on Saturday at the age of 83.—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Wallace is particularly troubled by how quickly hantavirus was incorporated into the COVID-era health conspiracies and the distrust in public health authorities that still thrive in certain online ecosystems.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
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This time, playing with the tempo Varas said would trouble Austin, SDFC owned the match via comprehensive play and goals in the eighth, 17th, 54th, 79th and 91st minutes.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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