as in harsh
difficult to endure
an oppressive regime that rules through terror
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oppressive
The Black Cops Who Fought Brutality on Their Own Force
In 1960s Chicago, members of the Afro-American Patrolman's League challenged oppressive policing in Black communities.
—
JSTOR Daily, 20 Feb. 2025
Currently, asylum seekers who committed crimes seen as political in nature—i.e. toward an oppressive regime—could be granted asylum, as could those guilty of misdemeanors.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
But the show pulls back just enough on the oppressive horror vibes of Season Two without losing a perpetual sense of unease from those scenes.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
Loading your audio article As an activist fighting the oppressive Nicaraguan regime, Carmen risked her life to save others.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
JSTOR Daily, 20 Feb. 2025
Currently, asylum seekers who committed crimes seen as political in nature—i.e. toward an oppressive regime—could be granted asylum, as could those guilty of misdemeanors.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
But the show pulls back just enough on the oppressive horror vibes of Season Two without losing a perpetual sense of unease from those scenes.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
Loading your audio article As an activist fighting the oppressive Nicaraguan regime, Carmen risked her life to save others.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressive
Adjective
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Unlike Western cleansers, which often rely on harsh surfactants or astringent ingredients, Korean ones maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and natural pH balance, says Cho.—
Denise Primbet,
Glamour,
28 Feb. 2025
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Her lyric vocal writing contends with harsh reality, but her style is never far from profound rapture.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The free chow was served daily, except on Fridays, and continued through a brutal period of industrywide cost-cutting that persists to this day.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
1 Mar. 2025
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England’s Champions Trophy campaign finally came to a brutal end when they were beaten by South Africa in Karachi by seven wickets with almost 21 overs to spare.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This all adds up to a tough investment outlook for any business looking at Ukraine’s mineral supply.—
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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How to Bet Timberwolves vs. Lakers Following up a game like Tuesday's would be tough for the Wolves under any circumstances, but with Edwards battling a calf injury and DiVincenzo potentially sidelined, beating the Lakers in L.A. will be that much more difficult.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Hackman’s searing turn as the hyper, gum-smacking Doyle in the documentary-style French Connection distinguished him as a leading man.—
Duane Byrge,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Feb. 2025
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Bouchard’s five-on-five on-ice outscoring is a searing total.—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But her origin story is compelling: Braverman was born in Ukraine, just weeks before the Chernobyl nuclear event, and was in severe respiratory distress soon after birth.—
John Werner,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Konstantopoulos has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a chronic condition that affects connective tissues and makes injuries more frequent and severe.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As mere surrogates, the Trump-DeSantis fight to outdo each other through mean and cruel policies will go on.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
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Immigration advocates call the crackdown cruel and wrongheaded and warn that many Latino U.S. citizens will likely suffer violations of their civil rights and possibly even get mistakenly deported.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.—
Alia Wong,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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The Trump administration has expressed interest in other minerals like lithium, graphite, and titanium, but these are based on rough mineral estimates.—
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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While New York City as a whole is safer than most other metropolises, pockets of especially rough neighborhoods are unsafe, particularly for young men.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppressive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressive. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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