noun

oppression

uh-PREH-shuhn

noun

The use of power in a cruel or unjust way to control or hold down a person or group.

"The novel follows one family's struggle against political oppression."

"Decades of oppression finally led to the uprising."

A heavy, weighed-down feeling, whether physical (like tightness in the chest) or mental.

"She felt a strange oppression in the humid, airless room."

How to Use Oppression

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishBeing kept down by unfair power — or the crushing feeling that comes with it.

Common pairings

systemic oppression fight oppression a feeling of oppression

oppressions plural

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The novel follows one family's struggle against political _____.

From Old French oppression, from Latin oppressio ("a pressing down"), from the verb opprimere — "to press against, crush."

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