repressive
Americanadjective
-
tending or serving to repress.
repressive laws.
Other Word Forms
- nonrepressive adjective
- repressively adverb
- repressiveness noun
- unrepressive adjective
- unrepressively adverb
- unrepressiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of repressive
1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin repressīvus < Latin repress ( us ) ( repress ) + -īvus -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Southeast Asian nation of 100 million is both an economic success story, boasting eight percent growth last year, and a repressive one-party state that often jails its critics.
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
She reminisces on a childhood growing up in a repressive household during the 1960s, when second-wave feminism and the women’s liberation movement were just starting to achieve legitimacy.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026
He is close to hardliners within the repressive and powerful IRGC, current and former officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
In the days that followed, repressive new laws were adopted here to silence dissent and punish criticism of the authorities.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
But the hard facts were that fifty years of nonviolence had brought the African people nothing but more repressive legislation, and fewer and fewer rights.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.