Repressive vs Suppressive - What's the difference?

repressive | suppressive |

As adjectives the difference between repressive and suppressive

is that repressive is serving to repress or suppress; oppressive while suppressive is that serves to suppress.

repressive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)

Serving to repress or suppress; oppressive

* 1846 Allan Freer - The North British Review

Human law is indeed repressive', but ' repressive on moral principles comprehensively applied to the whole community, and commanding the approval of the moral sense of the governed

* 1989 Louis Henkin - Right V. Might

First, the classical rule forbids any unilateral right to use force to overthrow a regime on the sole grounds that it is repressive in character.