oppression

English

Etymology

From Middle English oppression, from Old French oppression, from Latin oppressio (“a pressing down, violence, oppression”), from opprimere, past participle oppressus (“to press down”); see oppress.

Pronunciation

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Noun

oppression (countable and uncountable; plural oppressions)

1. The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
2. The act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed.

   The oppression of the poor by the aristocracy was one cause of the French Revolution.

3. A feeling of being oppressed.

   Our oppression was lifted by the reappearance of the sun.

Related terms

• oppress

Translations

act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed

• Arabic: ظلم (ar) (ẓulm) m
• Armenian: հալածանք (hy) (halaçank’)
• Catalan: opressió (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 壓迫 (cmn), 压迫 (cmn) (yāpò)

• Czech: útlak (cs) m
• Danish: undertrykkelse (da) c
• Dutch: onderdrukking (nl) f
• French: oppression (fr) f
• German: Unterdrückung (de) f

• Italian: oppressione (it)
• Japanese: 圧迫 (ja) (あっぱく, appaku), 圧制 (ja) (あっせい, assei)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: چه‌وساندنه‌وه (ku) (çewsandinewe), زۆرداری (ku) (zordari)

• Portuguese: opressão (pt)
• Russian: гнёт (ru) (gnjot) m, угнетение (ru) (ugneténije) n, притеснение (ru) (pritesnénije) n
• Scottish Gaelic: sàrachadh (gd) m
• Spanish: opresión (es) f
• Swedish: förtryck (sv)

feeling of being oppressed

• Dutch: bedruktheid (nl) f
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: زۆرداری (ku) (zordari)

• Scottish Gaelic: sàrachadh (gd) m

exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner

• Dutch: onderdrukking (nl) f
• German: Unterdrückung (de) f

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: زۆرداری (ku) (zordari)

External links

• oppression in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• oppression in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911