oppress

oppress
—oppressible, adj. —oppressor, n.
/euh pres"/, v.t.
1. to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power: a people oppressed by totalitarianism.
2. to lie heavily upon (the mind, a person, etc.): Care and sorrow oppressed them.
3. to weigh down, as sleep or weariness does.
4. Archaic. to put down; subdue or suppress.
5. Archaic. to press upon or against; crush.
[1300-50; ME oppressen < MF oppresser < ML oppressare, deriv. of L oppressus ptp. of opprimere to squeeze, suffocate, equiv. to op- OP- + -primere (comb. form of premere) to PRESS1]
Syn. 1, 2. OPPRESS, DEPRESS, both having the literal meaning to press down upon, to cause to sink, are today mainly limited to figurative applications. To OPPRESS is usually to subject (a people) to burdens, to undue exercise of authority, and the like; its chief application, therefore, is to a social or political situation: a tyrant oppressing his subjects. DEPRESS suggests mainly the psychological effect, upon the individual, of unpleasant conditions, situations, etc., that sadden and discourage: depressed by the news. When OPPRESS is sometimes used in this sense, it suggests a psychological attitude of more complete hopelessness: oppressed by a sense of failure. 1. maltreat, persecute.
Ant. 2. uphold, encourage.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Oppress — Op*press , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Oppressed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Oppressing}.] [F. oppresser, LL. oppressare, fr. L. oppressus, p. p. of opprimere; ob (see {Ob }) + premere to press. See {Press}.] 1. To impose excessive burdens upon; to overload;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • oppress — index abuse (victimize), badger, bait (harass), brutalize, coerce, constrain (restrain) …   Law dictionary

  • oppress — (v.) mid 14c., from O.Fr. oppresser (13c.), from M.L. oppressare, frequentative of L. opprimere press against, crush (in L.L. to rape ), from ob against + premere to press, push (see PRESS (Cf. press) (v.1)). It is the due [external] restraint… …   Etymology dictionary

  • oppress — 1 *depress, weigh Analogous words: *abuse, mistreat, maltreat, ill treat, outrage: *worry, annoy, harass, harry 2 *wrong, persecute, aggrieve Analogous words: * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • oppress — [v] depress, subdue abuse, afflict, aggrieve, annoy, beat down*, burden, crush, despotize, dishearten, dispirit, distress, encumber, force, handicap, harass, harry, hound*, keep down, maltreat, outrage, overcome, overload, overpower, overthrow,… …   New thesaurus

  • oppress — ► VERB 1) keep in subjection and hardship. 2) cause to feel distressed or anxious. DERIVATIVES oppression noun oppressor noun. ORIGIN Old French oppresser, from Latin opprimere press against …   English terms dictionary

  • oppress — [ə pres′] vt. [ME oppressen < OFr oppresser < ML oppressare < L oppressus, pp. of opprimere, to press against < ob (see OB ) + premere,PRESS1] 1. to weigh heavily on the mind, spirits, or senses of; worry; trouble 2. to keep down by… …   English World dictionary

  • oppress — UK [əˈpres] / US verb [transitive, often passive] Word forms oppress : present tense I/you/we/they oppress he/she/it oppresses present participle oppressing past tense oppressed past participle oppressed 1) to treat people who are less powerful… …   English dictionary

  • oppress — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) v. t. persecute, burden, crush, afflict, grieve, load, de press; overbear, compress, overtax, overburden; tyrannize. See malevolence, badness, severity, subjection, wrong. II (Roget s IV) v. Syn. trouble …   English dictionary for students

  • oppress — [[t]əpre̱s[/t]] oppresses, oppressing, oppressed 1) VERB To oppress people means to treat them cruelly, or to prevent them from having the same opportunities, freedom, and benefits as others. [be V ed] These people often are oppressed by the… …   English dictionary

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