as in oppressed
suffering grave abuse or injustice at the hands of one in authority
a nation that is still regarded as a refuge for persecuted people from around the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in afflicted
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in annoyed
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of persecuted
ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
For years, deportations could be indefinitely delayed if an immigrant successfully argued that they’d be tortured or persecuted if they were returned home.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026
The Eduiot site includes photographs and audiovisual material, and features the accounts of parents, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces of Jews persecuted and disappeared under the dictatorship.
—Juan Melamed, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
The helpless and much persecuted turtles were cooked in a rich, creamy soup with chunks of meat.
—James Stout, Outside, 29 Mar. 2026
The Anabaptists were a radical nonconformist sect that took the egalitarian, pacifist, and renunciatory injunctions of the Bible seriously and tried to organize communal living, before being ruthlessly persecuted by the authorities and other Protestant sects.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Trump has led that charge, saying Peters was persecuted for her conservative beliefs and pressing Polis — on numerous occasions over the course of months — to release her.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 22 Mar. 2026
An immigration judge has previously found that she would be persecuted by the Israeli government if she was removed there.
—Kristie Keleshian, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Some had been granted the opportunity to stay after proving to immigration judges that they would probably be persecuted if returned to their homeland.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
Trump implemented a program offering migration and asylum to white Afrikaners who feel persecuted in South Africa.
—ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
For years, deportations could be indefinitely delayed if an immigrant successfully argued that they’d be tortured or persecuted if they were returned home.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026
The Eduiot site includes photographs and audiovisual material, and features the accounts of parents, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces of Jews persecuted and disappeared under the dictatorship.
—Juan Melamed, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
The helpless and much persecuted turtles were cooked in a rich, creamy soup with chunks of meat.
—James Stout, Outside, 29 Mar. 2026
The Anabaptists were a radical nonconformist sect that took the egalitarian, pacifist, and renunciatory injunctions of the Bible seriously and tried to organize communal living, before being ruthlessly persecuted by the authorities and other Protestant sects.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Trump has led that charge, saying Peters was persecuted for her conservative beliefs and pressing Polis — on numerous occasions over the course of months — to release her.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 22 Mar. 2026
An immigration judge has previously found that she would be persecuted by the Israeli government if she was removed there.
—Kristie Keleshian, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
Some had been granted the opportunity to stay after proving to immigration judges that they would probably be persecuted if returned to their homeland.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecuted
Adjective
-
According to Ehrman, Jesus’s teachings universalized earlier Jewish ethics by extending the duty to care for the poor, oppressed, and needy beyond one’s own community to include all people.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Again and again, American planners have assumed that if the right spark is provided, oppressed people will seize the moment and revolt.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These are important messages for a world afflicted by war and division.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Conspiracy Theorist Reformed One of the patients afflicted by the deadly virus was a man who came across as a conspiracy theorist.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Teams routinely get annoyed with media that spends time on this sort of thing, but there is no better sales tactic than drama.—
Mac Engel
April 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2026
-
But now Lamar is doing press annoyed with me.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
East Harlem has long been plagued by affordability issues.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But the Cubs’ offensive woes plagued them more than a misthrow from their reliever.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Only Lanie bothered to help me sort through what my mother had left behind, sort my days.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Collins believes, or at least implies, that the more radical tradition is the one that never bothered negotiating with those institutions at all—that the real fearlessness is in the work that was never asking for a seat at the table.—
Geoff Bennett,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He was severely injured after being shot down in 1967 over North Vietnam and was tortured during his time as a prisoner of war.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Many people have come out of the woodwork and jumped on the bandwagon, which irritated me.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a similar vein, the Business section featured an article on our inequitable national tax structure, which enables the wealthy to grow their wealth while most people, besieged by income taxes and rising property taxes, struggle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Persecuted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecuted. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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