Basic Details
Word: Oppressively
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: In a harsh and unfair way, or so hot and heavy that it is hard to bear.
Synonyms: harshly, cruelly, unbearably
Antonyms: gently, fairly
How to Spell Oppressively
Syllables: op - pres - sive - ly
Tricky part: The e at the end of oppressive stays when ly is added. Writers who drop it end up with oppressivly.
Watch out for: oppressivly, opressively, oppresively
Memory tip: Build it in two steps: write oppressive, then add ly without touching anything. Active and actively, massive and massively work the same way.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The classroom felt oppressively quiet during the board exam.
Example 2: The emperor ruled oppressively, and revolts broke out in many provinces.
Example 3: It was so oppressively hot that cricket practice was moved to the evening.
Fun Fact
The ending -ly comes from an Old English word lic, meaning body or form. The same old word gave us the modern word like.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the suffix ly to make an adverb:
ly
a) oppress
b) oppressor
c) oppressive
d) oppression
Show answer
c) oppressive. Ly turns an adjective into an adverb, and oppressive is the only adjective here; the others are nouns or a verb.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
oppressivelly
a) e
b) s
c) p
d) l
Show answer
d) l. Ly is a suffix with a single l, so oppressive takes just one l before the y.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. sweltring 2. unbareably 3. stiffling 4. oppressively
a) making it hard to breathe
b) uncomfortably hot and sticky
c) in a harsh or heavy, hard-to-bear way
d) too much to put up with
Show answer
c) in a harsh or heavy, hard-to-bear way. Unbearably keeps the ea of bear, sweltering has an e before ring, and stifling has one f, so oppressively is the only clean spelling.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a room is oppressively quiet, the silence feels ____.
a) light and cheerful
b) loud and lively
c) short and sudden
d) heavy and uneasy
Show answer
d) heavy and uneasy
2. Which of these is most likely to feel oppressively hot?
a) a Delhi afternoon in June
b) a cave in the mountains
c) a hill station at dawn
d) a garden after rain
Show answer
a) a Delhi afternoon in June
