OPPRESS Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'oppress' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of oppress are aggrieve , persecute , and wrong . While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform. // a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

Q: When could 'aggrieve' be used to replace 'oppress'?

In some situations, the words aggrieve and oppress are roughly equivalent. However, aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights. // a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

Q: When might 'persecute' be a better fit than 'oppress'?

Although the words persecute and oppress have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering. // a child persecuted by constant criticism

Q: When is it sensible to use 'wrong' instead of 'oppress'?

While the synonyms wrong and oppress are close in meaning, wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves. // a penal system that had wronged him

oppress

verb

ə-ˈpres

Definition of oppress

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

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

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How does the verb oppress differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of oppress are aggrieve, persecute, and wrong. While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

When could aggrieve be used to replace oppress?

In some situations, the words aggrieve and oppress are roughly equivalent. However, aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

When might persecute be a better fit than oppress?

Although the words persecute and oppress have much in common, persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

When is it sensible to use wrong instead of oppress?

While the synonyms wrong and oppress are close in meaning, wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of oppress In other words, if Jay-Z’s ascent becomes shorthand for Black progress, then the critique of the system that continues to oppress those at the margins starts to fade. — Jabari M. Evans, The Conversation, 24 June 2026 The album is both plea, polemic and protest, but its argument — that oppressed and working people deserve rights and dignity, and that those things have historically been won through rebellion and revolution — is hardly radical. — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2026 To Be Whole,' which teaches that the United States was founded on 'white supremacy' and categorizes individuals as 'oppressors' and 'oppressed' based only on their skin color, not their individual decisions and actions. — Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The rules of the game were rigged to ensure the groups considered most oppressed did the worst. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for oppress

Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppress

Verb

The knob twists and depresses like a button (with programmable options for both a short and long press).

— Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026
But that’s forcing them to wrestle with the idea that any action taken by a party is illegitimate, anti-democratic rigging — something the other team can use to depress the base.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of depress

Verb

Despite digitizing clinical records, EHRs often burdened physicians with extensive data entry, reducing patient interaction and leading to workarounds like medical scribes.

— Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
In fact, some 87% of extremely low-income Coloradans, or those who support a family of four on less than US$43,200 per year, are considered cost-burdened.

— Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of burden

Verb

DeLind said that his former business partner, who passed away in February, had been devastated by the theft.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
His city had been the epicenter of the worst American riot in generations, and his country had thrown its support behind Israel, helping to devastate parts of his ancestral home.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of devastate

Verb

The Assad regime fell in 2024, but the bodies of Khalil’s two friends were never recovered; their families assumed that they had been tortured, killed, and buried in a mass grave.

— Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
One of Nader’s grandsons, Shah Rukh, was tortured by a greedy court eunuch named Agha Muhammad to force him to reveal the location of the invaluable diamond.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of torture

Verb

And then, with the game in the balance, Taylor’s two 3-pointers over the Valkyries — against man-to-man defense — was too much to overcome.

— Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
This method could potentially be adapted for industrial manufacturing, but there were still limitations to overcome, with the biggest one being the quality of the material.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcome

Verb

For a period, Pakistan deployed a 7-2 offside field against Cox to try and build some pressure, with a struggling Khurram Shahzad lacking the accuracy and rhythm to trouble him in more orthodox ways.

— Ben Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Following Hickerson’s first arrest in 2019, a Hickerson family source told Us Weekly that his family was troubled by their relationship, the Daily Mail reported.

— Martha Ross, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of trouble

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oppositions

oppress

oppressed

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“Oppress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppress. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of oppress

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