Dictionary

oppression en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /əˈpɹeʃən/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /-ɛ-/ [-ɛ̞̈-] California Vowel Shift
• /əˈpɹɛʃən/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (California, Southern) audio

Etymology

From Middle English oppression, from Old French oppression, from Latin oppressiō (“a pressing down, violence, oppression”), from opprimō; see oppress.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
   • Oh, by what plots, by what forswearings, betrayings, oppressions, imprisonments, tortures, poisonings, and under what reasons of state and politic subtilty, have these forenamed kings […] pulled the vengeance of God upon themselves […] 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5):
   • "Tibet challenges the conscience of the world," I told the audience at a gathering outside the town's main temple. "If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world." 2008, Nancy Pelosi, “A Voice That Will Be Heard”, in Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters, Doubleday, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 95–96:
2. (countable, uncountable) The act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed.
   • Extreme freedom is followed by extreme oppression, said Plato.
   • We're choosing to use "anti-Jewishness" [rather than "anti-Semitism"] in recognition of the separate experiences and different oppressions of other peoples who also claim the name of "Semite." 1986 February 15, GCN staff, “Our Movement Is No Place for Jew-hating”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 31, page 4:
3. (countable, uncountable) A feeling of being oppressed. Special usage may include a sense of heaviness or obstruction in the body or mind; depression; dullness; lassitude.
   • […] St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
   • Our oppression was lifted by the reappearance of the sun.

Forms

Deriveds

silence is oppression · nonoppression · triple oppression · antioppression · Oppression Olympics · oppressionist · downpression · oppressional

Relateds

oppress

Translations (123)

cy gormes (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · yi באַדריקונג (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ca opressió (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · kmr zordarî (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh опрѐсија (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · nb undertrykkelse (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · gd sàrachadh (feeling of being oppressed) · ru гнёт (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · uk пригно́блення (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · enm tyrauntrie (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ckb زۆرداری (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · de Unterdrückung (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · lt priespauda (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sq shtypur (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · vi sự áp bức (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · pl ucisk (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · pl opresja (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · nl onderdrukking (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · uk гніт (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · pt opressão (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · uz zulm (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · uk у́тиск (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · hy հալածանք (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ga cos ar bolg (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · sk útlak (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh opresija (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · sh ugnjetavanje (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · hi उत्पीड़न (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · be прыгнёт (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · pt opressão (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ko 압박 (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · bg гнет (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh zùlum (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ps ظلم (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ug زۇلۇم (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · fa ظلم (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · bn জুলুম (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ckb زۆرداری (feeling of being oppressed) · txb nauske (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · yi אונטערדריקונג (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · de Unterdrückung (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · tg зулм (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · cs útlak (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh ugnjetavanje (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ka შევიწროება (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ka ჩაგვრა (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sl zatiranje (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · da undertrykkelse (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ru притесне́ние (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · it oppressione (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · bg угнетя́ване (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · nl onderdrukking (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · nl bedruktheid (feeling of being oppressed) · ga ansmacht (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · sl tlačenje (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · pt opressão (feeling of being oppressed) · bg притесне́ние (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · bg поти́сничество (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · bn উত্পীড়ন (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ota ظلم (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · fi sortaminen (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · bg гнет (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · he דיכוי (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · cmn 壓制 /压制 (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · kmr zilm (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ga leatrom (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · ru гнёт (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ru угнете́ние (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sq dhunë (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ota زوربهلق (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · tt золым (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · uk пригно́блення (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · es opresión (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ar ظُلْم (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ka შევიწროება (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · et rõhumine (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · he דִּכּוּי (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh угњетавање (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh зу̀лум (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · fi sorto (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh oprèsija (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · fr oppression (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ckb زۆرداری (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh ugnjetenost (feeling of being oppressed) · ja 圧迫 (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · mk угнетување (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · uk пригно́блення (feeling of being oppressed) · sh тлачење (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · gl opresión (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · hi दमन (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · tr zulüm (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ru и́го (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · ky эзүү (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · hu elnyomás (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ko 압제 (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ro oprimare (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · mk гнет (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · ga leatrom (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · kk езгі (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ru притесне́ние (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ja 圧制 (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · cmn 壓迫 /压迫 (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · bn নিপীড়ন (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ga ansmacht (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh tlačenje (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · tr baskı (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · fr oppression (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · ur ظُلْم (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · lv apspiešana (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · az zülm (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · uk пригні́чення (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh potlačenost (feeling of being oppressed) · el καταπίεση (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · hy բռնաճնշում (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · gd sàrachadh (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ru угнете́ние (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · uk гніт (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner) · be прыгнеча́нне (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sv förtryck (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · bn প্রজাপীড়ন (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh tlačenje (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · ckb چەوساندنەوە (act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed) · sh potlačivanje (exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner)