Vocabulary
Oppressive
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
inflicting harsh and authoritarian treatment.
Urdu meaning
جابرانہ،ظالمانہ، غیر معقول حد تک
Example sentences (from Dawn)
Sentences are selected from stored editorial text where your search word appears. If none appear yet, run the admin sentence generator for fuller coverage.
-
The oppressive Iranian regime has some serious thinking to do over the coming weeks.The immediate threat of US-Israeli military action may have receded somewhat but the economic crisis is going to worsen.
Dawn Editorials —
Relief as US puts off strikes
— 2026-01-18
-
Cricket has served as a bridge in the most oppressive of times.
Dawn Editorials —
Match manners
— 2025-11-18
-
A policy based on law, ethics and respect for privacy will make surveillance beneficial, not oppressive.The best option is to strike a balance between security, effectiveness and privacy protection.
Dawn Editorials —
Ethical surveillance
— 2025-10-14
-
Greater autocracy may spark national anger against oppressive policies, which may ignite Arab Spring-type protests.
Dawn Editorials —
Impending crises
— 2025-09-02
-
No wonder, the country now stands grounded in a dark, oppressive tunnel.
Dawn Editorials —
The eternal itch
— 2025-08-23
Synonyms
harsh, cruel, brutal, repressive, crushing, tyrannical, tyrannous, iron-fisted
Curator example
“an oppressive dictatorship”
More vocabulary to explore
About this vocabulary section.
These entries support close reading of Dawn editorials and opinion pieces: short definitions,
Urdu equivalents where we have them, word relations, and—when generated—real lines from the editorial archive
so you can see tone and usage.
Common questions
- Do I need to sign up to use this vocabulary page?
- No. Word pages are open to everyone. You can read meanings in English and Urdu, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences without creating an account.
- Where do the example sentences come from?
- When available, example sentences are drawn from cached matches in our Dawn editorial corpus so you can see how a word is used in real newsroom-style prose.
- How is this different from a dictionary?
- This section is curated for students preparing for competitive exams and editorial reading. Entries are compact, often include Urdu glosses, and are paired with in-context lines from editorials when we have them.
