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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb persecute differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of persecute are aggrieve, oppress, and wrong. While all these words mean "to injure unjustly or outrageously," persecute implies a relentless and unremitting subjection to annoyance or suffering.

a child persecuted by constant criticism

When is aggrieve a more appropriate choice than persecute?

Although the words aggrieve and persecute have much in common, aggrieve implies suffering caused by an infringement or denial of rights.

a legal aid society representing aggrieved minority groups

When might oppress be a better fit than persecute?

The meanings of oppress and persecute largely overlap; however, oppress suggests inhumane imposing of burdens one cannot endure or exacting more than one can perform.

a people oppressed by a warmongering tyrant

When could wrong be used to replace persecute?

The synonyms wrong and persecute are sometimes interchangeable, but wrong implies inflicting injury either unmerited or out of proportion to what one deserves.

a penal system that had wronged him

Examples of persecute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These punishments initially encouraged the impression among some commentators that Xi might be using the initiative to sideline or persecute his political opponents. Branko Milanovic, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2024 Many were censored and persecuted, a few exiled themselves in Europe. Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 10 Sep. 2024 At the time, many scientists were persecuted in China when their work was deemed contradictory to the Communist Party’s doctrine, but the party embraced Lee and Yang’s theory, not just for the pair’s Chinese heritage. Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 5 Sep. 2024 Assange’s supporters see him as a de facto journalist persecuted for his efforts to shed light on state secrets. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 26 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for persecute 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'persecute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near persecute

Cite this Entry

“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on persecute

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