OPPRESSIVE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for OPPRESSIVE?

Need another word that means the same as “oppressive”? Find 36 synonyms and 30 related words for “oppressive” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Oppressive” are: tyrannical, tyrannous, harsh, cruel, brutal, repressive, crushing, domineering, autocratic, dictatorial, undemocratic, despotic, draconian, punitive, overwhelming, overpowering, hard to bear, unbearable, burdensome, unendurable, intolerable, heavy, muggy, close, hot, humid, sticky, steamy, soupy, fuggy, airless, stuffy, stifling, suffocating, sultry, torrid

Oppressive as an Adjective

Definitions of "Oppressive" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “oppressive” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• (of weather) close and sultry.
• Weighing heavily on the mind or spirits.
• Inflicting harsh and authoritarian treatment.
• Weighing heavily on the senses or spirit.
• Marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior.

Synonyms of "Oppressive" as an adjective (36 Words)

airless	Without wind or breeze; still. A dusty airless attic.
autocratic	Relating to a ruler who has absolute power. The constitutional reforms threatened his autocratic power.
brutal	Harsh. The brutal honesty of his observations.
burdensome	Difficult to carry out or fulfil; taxing. The burdensome task of preparing the income tax return.
close	Close in relevance or relationship. It was very close in the dressing room.
cruel	(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering. Cruel tortures.
crushing	Physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination. A crushing blow.
despotic	Ruled by or characteristic of a despot. Moved from a feudal to a despotic order.
dictatorial	Of or characteristic of a dictator. A dictatorial rule that lasted for the duration of the war.
domineering	Tending to domineer. How can I do my job with a domineering boss yelling in my ear.
draconian	Of or relating to Draco or his harsh code of laws. The Nazis destroyed the independence of the press by a series of draconian laws.
fuggy	(of a room or atmosphere) warm, stuffy, or smoky. A fuggy pub.
hard to bear	Unfortunate or hard to bear.
harsh	Disagreeable to the senses. The harsh realities of the world news.
heavy	Large and powerful especially designed for heavy loads or rough work. A heavy truck.
hot	Used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning. The dice are hot tonight.
humid	Marked by a relatively high level of water vapour in the atmosphere. Humid weather.
intolerable	Incapable of being put up with. The intolerable pressures of his work.
muggy	Hot or warm and humid. It was a hot very muggy evening.
overpowering	So strong as to be irresistible. A feeling of overpowering sadness.
overwhelming	(especially of an emotion) very strong. She felt an overwhelming desire to giggle.
punitive	Inflicting or intended as punishment. He called for punitive measures against the Eastern bloc.
repressive	Inhibiting or preventing the expression or awareness of thoughts or desires. A repressive regime.
soupy	Effusively or insincerely emotional. Soupy nostalgia.
steamy	Hot or warm and humid. Steamy towels.
sticky	Having the sticky properties of an adhesive. A sticky thread is now live on the forum.
stifling	Making one feel constrained or oppressed. Stifling heat.
stuffy	Excessively conventional and unimaginative and hence dull. A stuffy overcrowded office.
suffocating	Causing difficulty in breathing especially through lack of fresh air and presence of heat. Some marriages can at times feel suffocating.
sultry	Characterized by oppressive heat and humidity. The sultry late summer weather had brought swarms of insects.
torrid	Extremely hot and dry. The torrid heat of the noonday sun.
tyrannical	Marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior. A momentary quieting of her tyrannical appetite.
tyrannous	(of a government or ruler) exercising power in a cruel or arbitrary way. They would welcome liberation from their tyrannous oppressor.
unbearable	Not able to be endured or tolerated. The heat was getting unbearable.
undemocratic	Not in agreement with or according to democratic doctrine or practice or ideals. The union broke with its past undemocratic procedures.
unendurable	Incapable of being put up with. Cries of unendurable suffering.

Usage Examples of "Oppressive" as an adjective

• The oppressive government.
• The offices present an oppressive atmosphere.
• The atmosphere was oppressive.
• An oppressive dictatorship.
• The day was sunless and oppressive.
• Oppressive sorrows.
• Oppressive laws.

Associations of "Oppressive" (30 Words)

assertive	Having or showing a confident and forceful personality. The job may call for assertive behaviour.
authoritarian	An authoritarian person. He had an authoritarian and at times belligerent manner.
authorities	The organization that is the governing authority of a political unit. The matter was referred to higher authorities.
autocratic	Taking no account of other people’s wishes or opinions; domineering. Autocratic behavior.
bullying	The act of intimidating a weaker person to make them do something.
cavalier	A royalist supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War. Anne was irritated by his cavalier attitude.
coercive	Relating to or using force or threats. Authority is directional instead of coercive.
commanding	(in military contexts) having a position of authority. A commanding view of the ocean.
despotic	Of or typical of a despot; tyrannical. Despotic rulers.
despotism	The exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way. Some nations are democracies others are despotisms.
dictator	(in ancient Rome) a chief magistrate with absolute power, appointed in an emergency. My boss is a dictator who makes everyone work overtime.
dictatorial	Of or typical of a ruler with total power. A dictatorial rule that lasted for the duration of the war.
dictatorship	Absolute authority in any sphere. The effects of forty years of dictatorship.
dominant	Denoting the predominant species in a plant or animal community. The dominant partner in the marriage.
domineering	Tending to domineer. How can I do my job with a domineering boss yelling in my ear.
firm	Marked by firm determination or resolution not shakable. Stocks are still firm.
forceful	Forceful and definite in expression or action. Forceful measures.
haughty	Arrogantly superior and disdainful. A haughty British aristocrat.
imperative	The imperative mood. As nuclear weapons proliferate preventing war becomes imperative.
imperious	Having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy. His imperious demands.
magisterial	Used of a person’s appearance or behavior; befitting an eminent person. He dropped his somewhat magisterial style of questioning.
misrule	The disruption of peace; disorder. A country that is recovering from decades of misrule.
monocracy	A system of government by one person only.
overbearing	Expecting unquestioning obedience. Insufferably overbearing behavior toward the waiter.
peremptory	Insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way. Peremptory commands.
powerful	Of a person possessing physical strength and weight rugged and powerful. A powerful bomb.
regime	A coordinated programme for the promotion or restoration of health a regimen. A low calorie low fat regime.
sovereign	A former British gold coin worth one pound sterling, now only minted for commemorative purposes. A sovereign state.
tyrannical	Characteristic of tyranny; oppressive and controlling. A tyrannical parent.
vigorous	Characterized by or involving physical strength, effort, or energy. A vigorous old man who spent half of his day on horseback.