Meaning & use
oppression
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Meanings
noununcountable
Cruel and unfair treatment of a group of people by those in power, who deny them freedom and rights.
Grammar: Uncountable: suffer oppression; use forms of oppression for varieties.
Patterns
- oppression of someone
- oppression by someone
The book describes the oppression of workers in the old mills.
People fled their country to escape political oppression.
Activists fought against the oppression of minorities.
noununcountableformalliterary
A heavy feeling of worry, sadness, or pressure that weighs on someone.
Grammar: Often figurative.
Patterns
- a sense of oppression
A sense of oppression settled over the house after the news.
The heat brought a feeling of oppression to the crowded room.
Word forms
| plural | oppressions |
|---|
Common combinations
- political oppression
- The refugees suffered political oppression.
- fight oppression
- She dedicated her life to fighting oppression.
- escape oppression
- Many families escaped oppression by crossing the border.
- centuries of oppression
- The community endured centuries of oppression.
- systemic oppression
- The report examines systemic oppression in the legal system.
Synonyms and how they differ
- persecution
- Persecution is hostile treatment aimed at a group for its beliefs or identity, while oppression stresses control and denial of freedom.
- tyranny
- Tyranny points to cruel rule by one ruler or government, whereas oppression can come from many sources.
- repression
- Repression stresses forcibly holding back protest or expression, which is a narrower action than oppression.
- subjugation
- Subjugation means bringing a people under control, usually after conquest, and sounds more formal.
Opposites
Word family
- oppress verb
- to treat people cruelly and unfairly
- oppressive adjective
- harsh and cruel, or heavy and hard to bear
- oppressor noun
- a person or group that oppresses others
- oppressed adjective
- treated cruelly by those in power
Commonly confused: oppression or suppression? oppression or depression?
oppression vs suppression
Suppression means stopping something from spreading or being seen, not necessarily cruelty to people.
oppression vs depression
Depression means a low mood or a downturn, and is different from oppression.
Practice
Writers in the country faced harsh ___ and could not publish criticism of the government.
Choose one answer.
Oppression means unfair control by those in power. Opposition would mean disagreement or a rival party, which does not describe being silenced.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “oppression”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.