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repressive

repressive

30 7.0
Limiting people's freedom to speak or act
  • adjective
  • /rɪˈprɛsɪv/
translation icon : represivo
  • The Tunisian revolution was the first step in dismantling the old repressive regional order; the Egyptian revolution was the second.
  • repressive regime
  • repressive measures
  • repressive system

Since then, the country has become one of the most repressive for women and girls worldwide.

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Examples

  • Mary Shelley grew up with a self-righteous and repressive father, no mother, and a nasty stepmother.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • There is a very repressive culture when it comes to true diversity of thought in Canadian mainstream media.

  • Since then, the country has become one of the most repressive for women and girls worldwide.

  • The military, however, engaged in massive repressive measures against the left.

    Academic text (1991)
  • That was an ugly and repressive time and I'm glad that it's over.

  • I will not bow to a repressive government that wants to violate my human rights.

  • Their actual rule, which was guided by strong men and repressive measures, reflects this fear of popular mobilization.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Decades after following Washington's repressive drug policies, most Latin American countries face even worse drug-related problems.

    Academic text (2012)
  • China's leadership is fully aware that free market economic reform necessitates a more open, less-repressive society.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The company implemented repressive policies that limited employees' ability to voice their opinions.

Synonyms

restrictive
vsrepressive
52 4.7

Limits what people can do by rules or laws

targets people directly by limiting their freedom to express or act
oppressive
vsrepressive
43 6.3

Using harsh, unfair power to control people and limit their freedom

focuses on limiting freedom but without the harsh unjust emphasis
suppressive
vsrepressive
6 7.0

Able to stop or reduce something unwanted

focuses on limiting people's freedom to express or act rather than stopping specific activities
inhibitory
vsrepressive
3 7.6

Causing an action to stop or slow down

focuses on limiting people's freedom to express or act rather than slowing responses
limiting
vsrepressive
3 3.5

Keeping someone or something from having full freedom and many choices

applies to people's freedom to express or act, not just general limits
confining
vsrepressive
1 5.6

That limits someone's freedom or ability to move

focuses on curbing people's ability to express or act rather than physical enclosure
constricting
vsrepressive
1 6.5

Causes people to feel limited and unable to act freely

means actions or policies that directly limit people's ability to express or act
constraining
vsrepressive
1 6.3

Makes someone or something unable to act freely

also targets people's ability to express themselves, not only actions
constrictive
vsrepressive
1 7.1

Making people or groups have less freedom to grow

is about limiting people's freedom to express or act, not narrow conditions
inhibitive
vsrepressive
7.5

That makes something difficult to do or slow to happen

focuses on restricting people's freedom to express or act rather than slowing processes

Antonyms

Causing people to become free from unfair control

How Repressive

tyrannical
25 7.9
oppressive
43 6.3
repressive
30 7.0
restrictive
52 4.7
permissive
  • Jargon
14 4.9

Surface Forms

repressive positive
repressiver comparative
repressivest superlative

Morphology

repressive = repress (semi-transparent) = repress + ive

This is a standard adjectival formation from the verb 'repress', meaning tending to repress or characterized by repression.

Etymology

Repressive comes from the Latin reprimere, made of re- 'back' and press, like the English word press, meaning 'to press back'. So a repressive law or government 'presses down' on people's freedom or stops them from speaking.