as in persecuted
suffering grave abuse or injustice at the hands of one in authority
setting out on a quixotic quest to right wrongs and to raise up the oppressed peoples of the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in depressed
to make sad
this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overwhelmed
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
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Recent Examples of oppressed
Dan Beck, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
One of the reasons why Muslims fast during Ramadan is to remember those who are oppressed or suffering, and to share in those emotions.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Deena Elgenaidi, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
However, when your organization was founded less than 45 years after slavery was abolished, when Black women were still being forced to be wet nurses to the very children of those who oppressed them and lynching was a common occurrence below the Mason-Dixon Line?
—Essence, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oppressed
Adjective
The song had an aggressive, staccato beat and vocal delivery; the general theme was Michael as an oppressed underdog fighting back.
—Verb
The men are seen as misogynistic, and the women are oppressed.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressed
Verb
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Gradually freed of the weight of its ice, the rock beneath Greenland, long depressed by the massive ice sheet, rebounds.—
-
José said that the song depressed him.—
Verb
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Those bold trunks of synapses, instead of the sleek connections most people have, mean that Kaylie can be overwhelmed by the flood of input coming her way.—
-
Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns.—
Verb
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My message this week is about not letting our hearts be troubled, and Jesus is the way.—
-
On one of the final days of the semester, Raymundo peered into his Infiniti J30’s engine bay, searching for the issue that had troubled the car.—
Verb
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Though not every gallery has reopened since hurricanes devastated the island, the community brought back the Matlacha Art Walk in 2025.—
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There had been an influx of increasingly cataclysmal news out of Gaza, and Ben Hania made efforts to stay as informed as possible, but Hind’s innocent voice devastated her anew.—
Verb
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Many of the men had been beaten, while women were raped and children were tortured.—
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The Golden Globes have a history as convoluted and tortured as the ceremony is glitzy and wasted.—
Verb
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Keldon Johnson had 27 points, Victor Wembanyama added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists from Luka Doncic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-91 on Wednesday night.—
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In 2017, for instance, prosecutors in Contra Costa overcame an insanity defense by William Shultz, who murdered a 9-year-old Discovery Bay boy during a sleepover and blamed it on a delusion about an impending World War III.—
Verb
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In addition to the excess and sometimes dubious roof claims in Colorado, the condominiums are uniquely burdened by a shortage of companies offering insurance policies to multi-unit dwellings, especially in large complexes that require multi-million dollar policies with complex terms.—
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He is elevated, isolated, burdened, deified--positioned as an emblem.—
Verb
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On the ensuing drive, Herbert was crushed by K’Lavon Chaisson, resulting in a fumble recovered by Christian Elliss, as the Gillette Stadium crowd went ballistic.—
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Poppy is absolutely crushed but says nothing in response.—
Cite this Entry
“Oppressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressed. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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