Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

oppressive

/əˈpɹɛs.ɪv/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.45 in modern English

Syllables: op-pres-sive
IPA: /əˈpɹɛs.ɪv/

17

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Burdensome or difficult to bear.

adj

Tyrannical or exercising unjust power.

adj

Weighing heavily on the spirit; being quite intense, excessive or overwhelming.

adj

Example Sentences

"The oppressive tax laws made it difficult to start a small company."
"oppressive smell"
"The oppressive land-owners kept a grip on the labourers."
"Will the oppressive heat of summer never end?"
"Without being slaves in fact, their condition is little better than vassalage in its most oppressive form."
"The class of noblemen, who, at this particular epoch, had lost nothing of their primitive vigour, saw with pleasure the influence of the French depressed; but they suffered scarcely less from the absolute and oppressive influence which the Spaniards had acquired over them."

Etymology

Etymology tree English oppress Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Old French -ifbor. Middle English -yf English -ive English oppressive From oppress + -ive.

Inflected Forms

more oppressive (comparative) most oppressive (superlative)

Derived Forms

antioppressive inoppressive nonoppressive oppressively oppressiveness unoppressive

Synonyms

grinding authoritarian autocratic bossy coercive commanding controlling demanding despotic dictatorial dominant domineering

Rhymes With

impressive progressive aggressive excessive successive obsessive expressive depressive possessive repressive regressive recessive

Questions

How do you pronounce oppressive?: The recorded pronunciation is /əˈpɹɛs.ɪv/.
What does oppressive mean?: Burdensome or difficult to bear.
Where does oppressive come from?: Etymology tree English oppress Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Old French -ifbor. Middle English -yf English -ive English oppressive From oppress + -ive.

How to pronounce oppressive

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