OPPRESSING Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

oppressing

verb

present participle of oppress

as in torturing

to make sad this gloomy weather is oppressing all of us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Verb

The shape-shifting eldritch entity of mysterious origins relishes torturing children.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
But, if not, then stop using the existence of those goals as a way of torturing yourself.

— Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of torturing

Verb

The discovery opens up new possibilities for heat management in next-generation quantum devices, overcoming bottlenecks faced earlier.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
Wachter said some young buyers are overcoming high housing costs by looking at older homes and fixer-uppers, putting their own time and labor into improvements or even renting out part of the property to help cover costs.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 20 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

After all, there’s a reason why IVF has overwhelming bipartisan support.

— Dr. Jaime Knopman, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
To channel this sense of joyful minimalism, pair a bold color with playful accents, rich textures, and meaningful décor that brings personality to the space without overwhelming it.

— Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of overwhelming

Verb

But this month, the Coalition for Open Democracy, a voter advocacy group, filed a lawsuit, arguing the New Hampshire law is unconstitutional for burdening eligible students' right to vote and discriminating against younger voters for their age.

— Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of burdening

Verb

Over 150 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing after devastating flash floods swept through the Himalayan region along the Nepal-Tibet border, officials from both countries confirmed Wednesday.

— Callum Sutherland, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
And that roads budget included the funding to take care of the existing roads, which would have been devastating ecologically and socially, because if these roads keep falling off the hillsides, then people can’t use them.

— Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 26 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

Consider each target wounded by crushing knockdowns and then killed by piggy-backers, irrespective of the quality of the quarter.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
The writer compared the collapse of civil society to a boulder rolling downhill, crushing things in its path.

— KANIS LEUNG, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of crushing

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“Oppressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of oppressing

verb

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