oppressing

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   Treating a group of people harshly and unfairly by denying them freedom, rights or power.

   Grammar: Takes an object: the regime was oppressing minorities.

   Patterns

   • oppress someone
   • oppress a people

   The government was accused of oppressing its critics.

   They spent years oppressing the workers with unfair rules.

   Nobody should gain power by oppressing others.

2. 2verbtransitiveliterary

   Weighing heavily on someone's mind or spirit, making them feel worried, sad or heavy.

   Grammar: Often used with a feeling or place as the subject: the heat was oppressing everyone.

   Patterns

   • something is oppressing someone

   A sense of dread was oppressing her all evening.

   The gloomy house was oppressing the new tenants.

   The silence kept oppressing him long after the guests left.

Common combinations

oppressing the poor

The law ended up oppressing the poor more than anyone else.

oppressing minorities

The speech condemned leaders for oppressing minorities.

accused of oppressing

The landlord was accused of oppressing his tenants.

oppressing the spirit

Constant noise was oppressing his spirit.

Synonyms and how they differ

persecuting

Persecuting means attacking people because of who they are, while oppressing is about controlling them by unfair power.

subjugating

Subjugating suggests bringing a people fully under control, which is stronger than oppressing.

burdening

Burdening fits the emotional sense, but is milder and less about power than oppressing.

Opposites

Word family

oppress verb

to treat a group harshly and unfairly

oppression noun

cruel and unfair control over others

oppressor noun

a person or group that oppresses

oppressive adjective

harsh, unfair or heavy to bear

Commonly confused: oppressing or repressing?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “oppressing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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