Oppression vs. Suppression: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Oppression is prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control, while suppression is the act of stopping or preventing something, often by force or authority.
Key Differences
Oppression refers to a situation where a group or individual is subjected to unfair and prolonged control or authority, often by a more powerful entity. In contrast, suppression is about forcibly stopping or inhibiting an activity, idea, or expression.
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Oppression is often associated with systemic and institutionalized control that affects a large group of people, based on factors like race, gender, or socio-economic status. Suppression, on the other hand, can be seen in actions that prevent the dissemination of information, ideas, or feelings.
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Oppression manifests in various forms, including social, political, and economic, leading to long-term negative effects on the oppressed group. Suppression, while it can be part of oppression, is more about the act of curtailing or hindering something, like suppressing a protest or a piece of information.
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In the context of human rights, oppression is a severe violation that impacts the fundamental freedoms and rights of individuals or groups. Suppression, though sometimes legally sanctioned, often involves limiting or eliminating one's ability to express or act.
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The tools and methods of oppression are varied, including discriminatory laws, social norms, and economic policies, while suppression often involves direct actions like censorship, legal penalties, or physical prevention.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control
Act of stopping or preventing something
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Manifestation
Social, political, economic discrimination
Censorship, prevention of actions or expressions
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Impact
Long-term effects on a group or individual
Immediate effect on specific activities or ideas
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Associated Actions
Discriminatory laws, social norms
Censorship, legal penalties, physical prevention
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Oppression and Suppression Definitions
Oppression
Oppression is the systemic control exerted by a more powerful group over another.
Racial oppression has been a persistent issue in many societies.
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Suppression
Suppression is the act of preventing or hindering expression or action.
The suppression of the media in the country was widely criticized.
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Oppression
Oppression involves prolonged cruel or unjust treatment.
The oppression of the working class led to numerous uprisings.
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Suppression
Suppression means curtailing freedom or ability to act.
The suppression of cultural expressions was part of the oppressive regime.
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Oppression
Oppression is institutionalized injustice and social control.
The oppression faced by minority groups is often rooted in longstanding biases.
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Suppression
Suppression involves forcibly stopping an activity or idea.
The suppression of dissent in the protest led to international outcry.
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Oppression
Oppression denotes an unfair exercise of authority and power.
The novel depicted the oppression of women in the early 20th century.
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Suppression
Suppression is the inhibition or prevention of the dissemination of information.
There was a notable suppression of facts during the scandal.
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Oppression
Oppression is the denial of fundamental rights and freedoms to a group.
The regime's oppression was marked by the denial of free speech.
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Oppression
The action of oppressing; arbitrary and cruel exercise of power
A system of oppression.
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Oppression
The state of being oppressed
Caught in the oppression of poverty.
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Suppression
(Psychiatry) Conscious exclusion of unacceptable desires, thoughts, or memories from the mind.
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Oppression
A feeling of being weighed down in mind or body
"Every time I entered my house, an oppression settled on me so heavy that I had to stand for minutes at a time in the doorway, gathering what strength I could find" (Erin McGraw). "One has ... to come under the shadow of war to feel fully its oppression" (J.R.R. Tolkien).
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Oppression
The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
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Oppression
The act of oppressing, or the state of being oppressed.
Extreme freedom is followed by extreme oppression, said Plato.
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Oppression
A feeling of being oppressed.
Our oppression was lifted by the reappearance of the sun.
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Suppression
(psychology) A process in which a person consciously excludes anxiety-producing thoughts, feelings, or memories.
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Oppression
That which oppresses; a hardship or injustice; cruelty; severity; tyranny.
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Suppression
(military) The entirety of acts aimed at stopping or preventing the enemy to execute such unwanted activities like firing, regrouping, observation or others.
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Oppression
A sense of heaviness or obstruction in the body or mind; depression; dullness; lassitude; as, an oppression of spirits; an oppression of the lungs.
There gentle SleepFirst found me, and with soft oppression seizedMy drowsed sense.
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Suppression
(of an eye) A subconscious adaptation by a person's brain to eliminate the symptoms of disorders of binocular vision such as strabismus, convergence insufficiency and aniseikonia.
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Suppression
The act of suppressing, or the state of being suppressed; repression; as, the suppression of a riot, insurrection, or tumult; the suppression of truth, of reports, of evidence, and the like.
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Oppression
The act of subjugating by cruelty;
The tyrant's oppression of the people
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Suppression
Complete stoppage of a natural secretion or excretion; as, suppression of urine; - used in contradiction to retention, which signifies that the secretion or excretion is retained without expulsion.
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Oppression
The state of being kept down by unjust use of force or authority:
After years of oppression they finally revolted
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Suppression
(botany) the failure to develop of some part or organ of a plant
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Suppression
The act of withholding or withdrawing some book or writing from publication or circulation;
A suppression of the newspaper
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Suppression
Forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority;
The suppression of heresy
The quelling of the rebellion
The stifling of all dissent
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Suppression
(psychology) the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires
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Suppression
Suppression is an authority-imposed limitation on actions or thoughts.
The government's suppression of revolutionary ideas was stringent.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
Is suppression always physical?
No, it can also be psychological or informational.
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Are oppression and suppression interchangeable?
No, they have different contexts and meanings.
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What are examples of suppression?
Censorship, silencing dissent, or hiding information.
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Is suppression legally justified at times?
Sometimes, in cases like national security or public safety.
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What are examples of oppression?
Racial, gender, or class-based discrimination.
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Can suppression be temporary?
Yes, it can be a temporary measure in certain situations.
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Is oppression a form of abuse?
Yes, it is considered a severe form of abuse.
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How does oppression affect society?
It leads to systemic inequalities and injustices.
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Can suppression lead to oppression?
Yes, suppression can be a tool or precursor to oppression.
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Is oppression always intentional?
It can be both intentional and a result of systemic structures.
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Can individuals fight oppression and suppression?
Yes, through activism, legal means, and raising awareness.
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Can oppression exist without suppression?
Suppression is often a part of oppression, but oppression is broader.
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What are the long-term effects of oppression?
Long-standing social inequalities and psychological trauma.
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Can suppression be part of governance?
Yes, but it is often a sign of authoritarian rule.
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Are there international laws against oppression?
Yes, many human rights laws aim to combat oppression.
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What role does power play in oppression?
Power is central to enacting and maintaining oppression.
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Can suppression be non-violent?
Yes, such as through legal or bureaucratic means.
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Do both terms apply to individuals?
They can, but oppression typically involves groups.
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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