Vocabulary
Repressive
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
(especially of a social or political system) inhibiting or restraining personal freedom.
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.
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Written under the repressive communist regime, the essay was not merely a critique of authoritarianism; it was a profound thought piece on how ordinary people sustain or can dismantle systems of control.
Dawn Editorials —
Power of the powerless
— 2026-05-02
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The path forward is clear, even if politically difficult.Pakistan must reform repressive laws, criminalise enforced disappearances, safeguard media independence and uphold the rights of minorities and refugees.
Dawn Editorials —
Rights at risk
— 2026-04-22
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A repressive apparatus bred on foreign dependency does not become less so because of skillful diplo-macy.
Dawn Editorials —
A new dawn?
— 2026-04-10
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A repressive and authoritarian state loses credibility.
Dawn Editorials —
Absent state accountability
— 2026-01-28
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But power grabs such as through the 27th Amendment and repressive actions did not inject confidence in the government, which frequently appeared jittery and insecure in the face of criticism.
Dawn Editorials —
Year of living anxiously
— 2025-12-15
Synonyms
oppressive, authoritarian, despotic, tyrannical, tyrannous, dictatorial, fascist
Antonyms
democratic, liberal
Curator example
“a repressive regime”
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
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- 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.
