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
Her mother had misread something about the Property Brothers on the internet and was insisting that they were being persecuted for being Christian.
—
Patricia Lockwood, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
Leopoldo chose to be the voice of the people who elected him, and was persecuted for it.
—Imamu "mu" Tomlinson, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
After being persecuted for the nature of her work, the political scientist arrived to the U.S. in 2022 on a visa.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 27 May 2025
His parents, Marcelo Netto and Miriam Leitão, are both journalists who resisted the dictatorship and were persecuted.
—Marcelo Cajueiro, Variety, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Patricia Lockwood, New Yorker, 18 May 2025
Leopoldo chose to be the voice of the people who elected him, and was persecuted for it.
—Imamu "mu" Tomlinson, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
After being persecuted for the nature of her work, the political scientist arrived to the U.S. in 2022 on a visa.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 27 May 2025
His parents, Marcelo Netto and Miriam Leitão, are both journalists who resisted the dictatorship and were persecuted.
—Marcelo Cajueiro, Variety, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecute
Verb
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Much of the documentary explores Walters' insecurities, which plagued her despite her incredible accomplishments.—
Gillian Telling,
People.com,
16 June 2025
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Orders at last year's Farnborough were notably weaker, with supply chain challenges continuing to plague the industry.—
Jenni Reid,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
If your idea of patience looks like being endlessly agreeable, never getting annoyed, and staying calm through any inconvenience….—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
17 June 2025
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We get used to it quickly, and will be annoyed when it is replaced.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
Cabbages are afflicted by cabbage webworms, cabbage white moths, cabbage loopers, and other worms.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 June 2025
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When the antibody was injected into the retinas of mice afflicted with retinitis pigmentosa, the action of PROX1 was blocked, retinal regeneration was restored, and vision returned for a period of over six months.—
Michael Franco,
New Atlas,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Also on this episode: With Emmy nomination voting ending on Monday, the Roundtable takes one more look at the major categories, how the number of submissions has changed some of the competition and who didn’t bother to join in.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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Orban said in February that organisers should not even bother organizing Pride in Budapest this year.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
19 June 2025
Verb
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There are Holocaust survivors, there are children who were taken, there are people being starved and tortured and raped who have no access to the Red Cross.—
Andrew Goldman,
Vulture,
16 June 2025
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Owens wrote that his client didn’t seek out a criminal lifestyle but became indebted to a criminal organization that paid his ransom after he was kidnapped and tortured.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Spicy foods: Spicy foods may irritate the stomach and intestines, which could worsen or extend food poisoning symptoms.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
21 June 2025
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This will irritate them and also decrease their likelihood of returning.—
Bartosz Skwarczek,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Verb
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The new film is again set in a Viking village that is constantly besieged by different kinds of dragons.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
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The Israeli military has raided or besieged numerous hospitals during the war, alleging that Hamas uses them to conceal fighters and orchestrate operations — a charge Hamas has repeatedly denied.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
9 June 2025
Verb
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Say your mother kept bugging you to change a bad habit.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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Next season is when all the little things start to bug me.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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