Oppression
Etymology
From Latin “opprimere,” “to press against, press down, crush,” from “ob-,” “against,” + “premere,” “to press.” The bodily metaphor of a crushing weight is exact: the oppressed are those held down under continuous pressure.
noun · /uh-PRESH-un/
The sustained, unjust exercise of power that keeps a group subordinated or burdened.
What it names
Use it for systematic, ongoing domination of a group — not a single wrong but a durable weight held down over time.
Example
The laws did not target individuals so much as entrench the oppression of a whole caste.
Related idea
Oppression is the enduring structural condition; repression is the active force used to maintain it — the crackdowns, arrests, and censorship. A regime represses a protest in order to preserve the oppression the protest challenges.