ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Oppressive

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /əˈpɹɛs.ɪv/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Oppressive is an adjective meaning Burdensome or difficult to bear.

Meaning

Burdensome or difficult to bear.

More Meanings

  1. Tyrannical or exercising unjust power.
  2. Weighing heavily on the spirit; being quite intense, excessive or overwhelming.
  3. (of the weather) Hot and humid.

Example Sentences

oppressive smell
Will the oppressive heat of summer never end?
The oppressive land-owners kept a grip on the labourers.
The oppressive tax laws made it difficult to start a small company.

Synonyms for oppressive

Depending on context, synonyms include harsh, grinding, authoritarian, autocratic, bossy, coercive.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include heavy, domineering, tyrannous, tyrannical, burdensome, onerous.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.