1
as in plagues
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 annoys
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 persecutes
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecutes
Verb
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Still, a key downside risk for all three companies is the uncertainty that plagues the future of energy markets, according to Goldman.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
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Shifting to the execution phase By securing graphite early, the company aims to mitigate supply chain volatility that often plagues advanced nuclear projects.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Think of something that annoys you, connect it to masculinity by adding bro, and proceed as though that bro were a category of person.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The centuries-old pot-kettle idiom points out hypocrisy — as when one person accuses another of a flaw that afflicts himself.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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Lupus, which afflicts some five million people worldwide, is a leading cause of death among young women.—
Jason Liebowitz,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His approach is to look at what bothers that person the most.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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The political rhetoric aimed at ridiculing Canada bothers Johnson.—
Jeanne Bonner,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The retrospection tortures her.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Castor Oil Castor oil irritates the digestive system of the moles and makes the soil less inviting to them.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
7 Mar. 2026
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Weed pollen typically irritates people in the late summer and early fall.—
Seth Jacobson,
wickedlocal.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Travelers are advised to inspect hotel rooms upon arrival and use precautions like plastic bags or luggage liners to prevent bringing bed bugs home.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Jan. 2026
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Check the head and base and foot of the bed, peeling back the top sheet to look for evidence on mattress covers, box springs, dust ruffles, and the headboard—and most importantly, the mattress seams and piping because bed bugs like to hide in cracks and crevices.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
25 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutes. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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