1. keep (someone) in subservience and hardship, especially by the unjust exercise of authority: "a system that oppressed working people"Similarpersecuteabusemaltreatill-treattreat harshlybe brutal tobe cruel totyrannizecrushrepresssuppresssubjugatehegemonizesubduesubjectenslavescourgeexploithold downkeep downgrind downrule with a rod of ironrule with an iron handtrample ontrample underfootbring someone to their kneesride roughshod overinformal:walk all over
▪ cause (someone) to feel distressed, anxious, or uncomfortable:"he was oppressed by some secret worry"Similardepressmake gloomy/despondentweigh downlie heavy onweigh heavily oncast downdampen someone's spiritshang overprey onburdencrushdispiritdisheartendiscouragesaddenmake desolateget downbring downtroubleafflictarchaic:deject
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French oppresser, from medieval Latin oppressare, from Latin oppress- ‘pressed against’, from the verb opprimere.
