oppressive

forbidden words: oppressive

oppressive

adjective

  1. burdensome, unjustly harsh, or tyrannical.
    an oppressive king;
    oppressive laws.

  2. causing discomfort by being excessive, intense, elaborate, etc..
    oppressive heat.

  3. distressing or grievous.
    oppressive sorrows.

Word History and Origins

Origin of oppressive¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Medieval Latin oppresīvus, equivalent to Latin oppress(us) “pressed down” ( oppress ) + -īvus -ive

Other Word Forms

  • oppressively adverb
  • oppressiveness noun
  • nonoppressive adjective
  • nonoppressively adverb
  • nonoppressiveness noun
  • self-oppressive adjective
  • unoppressive adjective
  • unoppressively adverb
  • unoppressiveness noun

from — Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words. (2025a). In Dictionary.com

~ ~ ~

example sentences: oppressive

With his polo shirts and running shoes, he stood out in a town where most wore flip-flops and as few clothes as possible in the oppressive heat.
From Los Angeles Times

It’s a little like eating at those restaurants where you find your napkin refolded whenever you come back from the restroom — at some point, such determined pampering becomes oppressive.
From Salon

He plays a working-class hero taking on a wealthy, oppressive villain.
From BBC

“It is a bad thing, I think, anytime we prop up an oppressive industry like the Southern megachurches that do nothing but prop up patriarchal belief systems.”
From Salon

After several years of living in China, Jin-su said the “sense of confinement” over his oppressive working conditions built up.
From BBC

from — Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words. (2025a). In Dictionary.com


August 28th, 2025
Hudson Valley, New York

This is one of the words/ phrases you can’t say in the new Trump Regime. See a comprehensive list at the Forbidden Words Project.

image: shellwise spiral © Holly Troy 8.2025


Discover more from holly troy ~ sacred folly

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Unknown's avatar

Posted by

Holly hails from an illustrious lineage of fortune tellers, yogis, folk healers, troubadours and poets of the fine and mystical arts. Shape-shifting Tantric Siren of the Lunar Mysteries, she surfs the ebbs and flows of the multiverse on the Pure Sound of Creation. Her alchemy is Sacred Folly — revolutionary transformation through Love, deep play, Beauty, and music.

One thought on “oppressive

Did this post excite you? Tell me about it . . .