op ‧ pres ‧ sive /əˈpresɪv/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . powerful, cruel, and unfair:
an oppressive military regime
2 . weather that is oppressive is unpleasantly hot with no movement of air:
the oppressive heat of the afternoon
3 . a situation that is oppressive makes you unhappy, worried, or uncomfortable:
an oppressive silence
an oppressive atmosphere
—oppressively adverb