oppressing

verb

present participle of oppress
1
as in torturing
to make sad this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overcoming
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

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 oppressing Claiming that other people expressing their civil rights is oppressing them, and politicizing what are supposed to be non-partisan parts of how the government works on the state and federal level. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 Norway was itself a colonizer, and programs oppressing indigenous cultures and languages were in place well into the 1960s. — Ola Morris Innset, The Dial, 2 June 2026 Having been raised not too far from similarly-minded environs, this Turkish critic knows that keeping a pure and noble familial slate in patriarchy often means oppressing women. — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 May 2026 Israel has been grievously oppressing people in its area who are not Jewish. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026 Underlying such obvious acts of aggression lies an insidious tendency for transnational repression to flow from despots into democracies, oppressing lawyers of all nationalities in the process. — Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026 In Russia, Cuba, Iran, Belarus, and Uganda, dictatorships have carried on for decades—oppressing and killing their people, attacking their neighbors, and destabilizing their regions. — Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026 Now, the Franciscan missionaries oppressing the Native Americans in the painting had arrows piercing their heads and bodies. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressing
  1. torturing
  2. overcoming
  3. depressing
  4. overwhelming
  5. burdening
  6. devastating
  7. troubling
  8. crushing
Verb
  • Working off a few vague details, Bret begins to imagine a link between Robert and a serial killer known as the Trawler, who has been abducting and torturing young women around Los Angeles.
    — Leo Lasdun, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Chilean prosecutors believe Ojeda died while his captors were torturing him to get information about the Venezuelan political opposition.
    — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
Definition of torturing
Verb
  • Beyond his fighting career, McGee is celebrated for his inspirational journey of overcoming drug addiction, having been sober for over two decades.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But he’ll best be known for overcoming a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, suffered in 1974.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • Also helping is Kevin Warsh, the new Federal Reserve head, who is working to get our central bank focused on currency stability as the way to fight inflation, rather than depressing economic activity.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • The high-pressure system that’s causing temperature spikes, Ciliberti said, is also depressing much of the particulate matter, pushing it closer to the ground.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of depressing
Verb
  • Rather than overwhelming your child with a long list of feelings, start with the basics.
    — Jenna Autuori-Dedic, Parents, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Could Cape Verde turn its sudden global fame into tourism that benefits the islands without overwhelming the places already under pressure?
    — Emese Maczko, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Verb
  • That finding should attract attention from state and local policymakers seeking practical ways to increase housing supply without burdening taxpayers or raising costs for builders and buyers.
    — Kileen Lindgren, Oc Register, 16 July 2026
  • That includes funding long-term care without burdening family, building wealth intentionally over decades and creating the capacity to give, transfer or invest with purpose.
    — Meredith Moore, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of burdening
Verb
  • Lionel Messi has donated €80,000 ($92,200) to the reconstruction efforts of Madrid’s Sierra Oeste region following devastating wildfires in the area.
    — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities in Washington have arrested a man for arson in connection with one of the major wildfires devastating the eastern part of the state, which has destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastating
Verb
  • In the final, Simon had little to do as Argentina registered only two shots in 120 minutes of action, with neither troubling the Athletic Club goalkeeper.
    — Leon Imber, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Campbell said Moore wanted to discuss what was troubling her privately but never got the chance.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026
Definition of troubling
Verb
  • The reason is that protesters fear that the Republic of Georgia will continue following an authoritarian path similar to Russia’s, crushing their hopes and dreams of being another Western-style democracy that is a member of NATO and the EU.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Because what action fan doesn't appreciate a good catapult crushing?
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of crushing

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Cite this Entry

“Oppressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressing. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of oppressing for Spanish Speakers

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