All 5 Uses of
oppress
in
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand
- In 1931, Japan tested the waters, invading the Chinese province of Manchuria and setting up a fiercely oppressive puppet state.
p. 43.8oppressive = harsh and unfair
- The cockpit was oppressively cramped, forcing pilot and copilot to live cheek by jowl for missions as long as sixteen hours.
p. 59.4oppressively = uncomfortably
- An oppressive weight settled on Louie as he flew away from Funafuti.
p. 112.2 *oppressive = uncomfortable (weighing heavily on the senses or spirit)
- The air hung hot and still, oppressive with the stench of human waste.
p. 174.9
- It is thus unsurprising that camp guards, occupying the lowest station in a military that applauded brutality, would vent their frustrations on the helpless men under their authority. Japanese historians call this phenomenon "transfer of oppression."
p. 194.9 *oppression = harsh and unfair treatment
Definitions:
-
(1)
(oppress as in: oppressive government) to dominate harshly and unfairly; or to make sufferThe meaning of oppress depends upon its context. For example:
- "The authorities oppress political activists," or "The new nation oppressed Native Americans." -- to dominate harshly and unfairly
- "She is oppressed by excessive debt." - made to suffer
-
(2)
(oppress as in: oppressive heat) to make uncomfortable (weigh heavily on the senses or spirit)