oppressively

adverb

Definition of oppressivelynext
as in harshly
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering forced to live under an oppressively cruel government

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oppressively The summer had seen Europe endure an oppressively dry, hot summer, which had seen wildfires spring up across the continent. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026 After a bit of a reprieve from an oppressively hot summer, another heat wave is set to scorch Southern California this week. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026 Survey respondents said their dwellings stayed oppressively hot even at night because overcrowding and poor construction trapped the heat. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 24 July 2026 Jackie searches for Madi, wondering if her sister is a victim or a killer while maneuvering an oppressively demanding office and reflecting on her own previous crimes. — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026 The oppressively hot and steamy weather was no deterrent for the crowds that lined up along Crandon Boulevard on Saturday to celebrate America’s independence at Key Biscayne’s 67th Fourth of July parade. — Pedro Portal, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026 Fortunately, this spell of hot temps will be a generally drier heat — not necessarily oppressively humid like is typical for New England. — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026 The first of the four chapters is an oppressively gray-toned, narratively diffuse spy thriller, set amid the mists of what appears to be the Second World War. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025 On an oppressively hot Friday in July, plumes of smoke curl up from Arnolds Field. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oppressively
  1. harshly
  2. severely
  3. brutally
Adverb
  • Hair in Sports Women are often judged more harshly than male counterparts in many aspects of life, but this is especially true in sports.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But their complaints come as Lecornu's government seeks to rein in public spending to appease skittish bond markets, which have punished France more harshly than many of its peers this year, amid a global bond market rout.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of harshly
Adverb
  • Many of the children's bodies were severely decomposed, with only 26 able to be identified, and investigations into the other deaths are ongoing.
    — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At least one case of congenital measles led to a death; the first death reported in the current outbreak was in a newborn baby boy, who died immediately after birth while his mother was severely ill with measles.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of severely
Adverb
  • Witch fever, by this point in history, had become a mechanism for brutally regulating and disciplining female behavior, and doing so intergenerationally.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The flags couldn’t be redder, and Khoshnoudi nimbly sketches out the circuitous emotional paths S takes to avoid seeing them until such evasion suddenly and brutally becomes impossible.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of brutally

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oppressively
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Cite this Entry

“Oppressively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressively. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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