repressive
Other forms: repressively
Repressive things keep people from doing or saying what they want. Repressive controls on the press don't allow journalists to freely report the news.
It's almost always a government, or a political or social system, that acts in a repressive way. When police officers don't let citizens videotape arrests, or a society doesn't allow girls to attend school, it's repressive. Someone growing up in a repressive family might feel cautious about saying or doing the wrong things. The adjective repressive comes from the Latin root repressus, "held back or curbed," and also "checked or restrained."
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restrictive of action
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Vocabulary lists containing repressive
In this acclaimed book, Elizabeth Partridge combines meticulous research, photographic records, and personal accounts into a vivid history of the Vietnam War and its aftermath.
In this memoir, presented in graphic form, Marjane Satrapi describes growing up during the Iranian revolution.
After the sudden death of her seemingly perfect sister, Julia tries to learn more about her sister's life while negotiating complicated family relationships.