oppress

Pronunciation

Here's the IPA phonetic spelling of "oppress" broken down by syllable:

• əˈprɛs (uh-PREST)

• ə (uh): Schwa sound, a mid central vowel (short and neutral)

• ˈ (') : Primary stress on the first syllable

• p (p): Unvoiced bilabial plosive (like the "p" in "pin")

• ɹ (r): Voiced alveolar trill (vibrating the tongue near the alveolar ridge)

• ɛ (e): Open-mid front unrounded vowel (like the "e" in "bet")

• s (s): Voiceless alveolar fricative (hissing sound like the "s" in "sip")

Word Form Variations

While "oppress" itself doesn't have variations for singular and plural because it's a verb, it does change form depending on the tense you're using. Here's a breakdown:

Verb:

• Present tense (singular and plural): oppress (e.g., The government oppresses its citizens / They oppress anyone who disagrees.)

• Past tense (singular and plural): oppressed (e.g., The king oppressed the poor / The people were oppressed for generations.)

• Present participle: oppressing (used for continuous actions) (e.g., The regime is oppressing any dissent.)

• Past participle: oppressed (used for completed actions or as an adjective) (e.g., The oppressed finally rose up / The oppressed population needs our help.)

Derived Words:

• Noun: oppression (the act of oppressing)

• Adjective: oppressed (the state of being subjected to oppression)

• Adverb (rare): oppressively (in a way that oppresses or restricts someone or something)

These derived words do have singular and plural forms:

• Singular: oppression, oppressed person, oppressively

• Plural: oppressions, oppressed people, oppressively

Definitions, Synonyms, Antonyms

Verb:

• Definition: To use one's power or authority in a cruel or unfair way to control or restrict someone or a group of people.

• Synonyms: subjugate, tyrannise, persecute, dominate, suppress, crush

• Antonyms: liberate, empower, emancipate, uplift, cherish

Noun:

• Definition: The condition of being subjected to cruel or unfair control or restrictions.

• Synonyms: tyranny, subjugation, persecution, suppression, hardship

• Antonyms: freedom, liberation, empowerment, justice, prosperity

Adjective:

• Definition: 1. Suffering under the burden of cruel or unfair control or restrictions. 2. Feeling weighed down by a heavy burden (less common usage).

• Synonyms: (1) subjugated, tyrannised, persecuted, downtrodden, burdened (2) overwhelmed, burdened, weighed down

• Antonyms: (1) free, liberated, empowered, uplifted (2) lighthearted, unburdened, carefree

Adverb (rare):

• Definition: In a way that oppresses or restricts someone or something.

• Synonyms: tyrannically, oppressively, cruelly, unfairly (rare)

• Antonyms: freely, liberally, fairly, justly (rare)

Examples of Use

Verb:

• Book: "The totalitarian regime oppressed its citizens, denying them basic freedoms." (Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell)

• Newspaper: "The human rights report accuses the government of oppressing minority groups." (The New York Times)

• Online Publication: "Wage theft continues to oppress low-income workers across the country." (The Guardian)

• Movie: In the film "The Hunger Games," the wealthy Capitol oppresses the districts in a dystopian future.

• Public Discourse: "Protesters rallied against the oppressive policies that limit access to education."

Noun:

• Book: "The novel explores the themes of oppression and resistance under a colonial regime." (Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe)

• Newspaper: "The fight against racial oppression continues in many parts of the world." (BBC News)

• Online Publication: "Many activists work to raise awareness about the oppression of women in certain cultures." (National Geographic)

• Song: "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley is a powerful anthem against oppression.

• Public Discourse: "The refugee crisis highlights the plight of people fleeing oppression in their home countries."

Adjective:

• Book: "The oppressed people yearned for freedom and justice." (Les Misérables, Victor Hugo)

• Newspaper: "Oppressed workers went on strike demanding better working conditions." (The Washington Post)

• Online Publication: "A report details the living conditions of the oppressed Uyghur minority in China." (CNN)

• TV Show: The television series "The Handmaid's Tale" depicts a dystopian society where women are oppressed and controlled.

• Public Discourse: "Many spoke out against the oppressive treatment of immigrants by border authorities."

10 Famous Quotes Using the term Oppress

1. "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." - Martin Luther King, Jr. (Speech)

2. "Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The urge for freedom will eventually come." - Martin Luther King, Jr. (Autobiography)

3. "The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." - Paulo Freire (Educator)

4. "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." - Martin Luther King, Jr. (Speech)

5. "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Elie Wiesel (Holocaust survivor and author)

6. "You can't build a revolution with no education. Jomo Kenyatta did this in Africa, and because the people were not educated, he became as much an oppressor as the people he overthrew." - Malcolm X (Civil rights activist)

7. "Let me remind you that a small, determined group of men and women with unwavering faith in their cause can change the course of history. Never, never be afraid to challenge the status quo, because if today's poor and oppressed are to become tomorrow's well-to-do and free, things must change." - Nelson Mandela (Activist and politician)

8. "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." - Abraham Lincoln (US President)

9. "Arise! Now is the time to make history. Inaction is a synonym for fear. This is your time to climb the mountain of courage and claim the summit of liberty and justice." - Mario Cuomo (Politician)

10. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke (Philosopher)

Etymology

The word "oppress" comes from a long journey through languages! It all started with the Latin word "premere" which means "to press down" or "to squeeze." Imagine stepping on a sponge – that's the kind of press we're talking about.

Then, another Latin word, "opprimere," was created by adding "ob-" to "premere." "Ob-" means "against" or "toward," so "opprimere" literally means "to press against" or "to weigh down on something."

Phrases + Idioms Containing the term Oppress

• Under oppression: This refers to the state of being controlled or restricted in a cruel or unfair way.

• The weight of oppression: This emphasises the feeling of being burdened or weighed down by oppressive conditions.

• Cry out against oppression: This means to speak up and protest against unfair treatment.

• A yoke of oppression: A yoke is a wooden bar that joins two oxen together for plowing. Here, it metaphorically refers to a system or burden that oppresses people. (e.g., "The people threw off the yoke of oppression.")

• To breathe free from oppression: This describes the feeling of relief and liberation after being oppressed.

• A climate of oppression: This refers to a general atmosphere or environment where people feel controlled and restricted.

• To be down with the oppressed: This is a more informal way of saying you stand in solidarity with those who are being treated unfairly. (be down with - means to agree with or support something)

• The pen is mightier than the sword: This proverb suggests that ideas and words can be more powerful than violence in overcoming oppression.

Posts Related to Oppress

Source Information

Definition of oppress from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.