as in harshly
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
forced to live under an oppressively cruel government
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Recent Examples of oppressively
The second planet from the sun has a completely inhospitable surface, with temperatures reaching 863 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) and a crushing pressure underneath an oppressively thick atmosphere.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
On an oppressively hot Friday in July, plumes of smoke curl up from Arnolds Field.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 1 Oct. 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
Adverb
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This can range from where to stand to create passing lanes to how quickly or slowly to travel in possession — as Elliott harshly discovered against Sunderland.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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The chamber has harshly criticized the proposal on its website and in mass texts.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The free-trade agenda sought to deregulate the labor market and prioritize market efficiency, strengthening the hands of employers and severely weakening union and social movements, as anti-free traders had predicted.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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And with an additional 100 percent tariff imposed on Chinese imports, China’s economy would be severely slowed.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Expect brutally honest exchanges around money, trust and intimacy.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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However, as Fatu's entrance music played, cameras cut backstage to reveal he had been brutally attacked.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Oppressively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oppressively. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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