1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she likes to persecute her sister with pointless, annoying questions at very inopportune times
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persecute
This Committee was initially created during the McCarthy Era, a dark time when the federal government repressed and persecuted American citizens for their political beliefs.
—
Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 21 Sep. 2025
The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The decree eliminated many of the civil liberties in Germany, opening the way for the Nazis to persecute their opponents.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 21 Sep. 2025
The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The decree eliminated many of the civil liberties in Germany, opening the way for the Nazis to persecute their opponents.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecute
Verb
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Parker also faces criminal charges As school shootings continue to plague US campuses, this civil trial could serve as a roadmap for the upcoming criminal case against Parker, which itself could set a broader precedent.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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The promise of Carson Beck has given way to the regression of the turnover bug that plagued him last year at Georgia.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The situation could be taken as concerning for Alonso, given the precedents of previous Madrid coaches who have tried to impose a certain style of play, or who otherwise annoy superstar players used to having things more their own way.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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One report, citing a source close to Sheridan, even claimed the writer was annoyed that Paramount sent too many of its top suits to a meeting designed to keep Sheridan onboard, arguing that Ellison had messed up by bringing more than two execs along with him.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Domestic violence is a painful reality afflicting too many households in this country, which makes the words and actions of the current administration so egregious and hurtful.—
Gwen Moore,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That’s what bothers me about it.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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The 20-year-old didn’t bother inspecting it further, threw it in the gutter and went on with her day.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Molnar said the team wanted to design a system that avoided irritating brain tissue.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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But Chelsea won’t have it, shutting the whole thing down in a way that clearly irritates her.—
Anne Victoria Clark,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Made in Italy is besieged, and action must be taken to safeguard the local supply chain and its reputation.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
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Since its municipal establishment in 2018, Roku City has been a metropolis intermittently besieged by mythical creatures including a kraken, a big robot, and a Godzilla-like kaiju.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Time to start bugging a friend with Hulu + Live TV instead or invest in an antenna.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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Both can reduce debris or items that attract the boxelder bugs.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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