noun
oppression
uh-PRESH-un/əˈpreʃn/
Cruel or unjust exercise of power over people.
The confined workers endure oppression under the harsh overseer.
Etymology
The action noun turns pressing down into a name for crushing control. Its Latin ancestor already joined the physical image of pressure with violence and subjugation.
In context
Colonialism is still at stake. Colonialism is still operating all over the world and it's not only about the occupation and the oppression and the physical occupation of uh territories and societies, but it's also psychological one
More examples
- Her family fled oppression and found safety abroad.
- The movement fights racial oppression through peaceful protest.
- Fear of punishment keeps many people silent under oppression.
Forms
oppress verb — Exercise cruel or unjust power over people.
oppressive adjective — Cruelly or unjustly restricting people's freedom.
Similar words
- tyranny
- Emphasizes cruel rule by a ruler or governing authority.
- subjugation
- Emphasizes bringing people under control, often through force.
- repression
- Emphasizes suppressing people's actions, speech, or political activity.