persecuting

verb

present participle of persecute
1
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothering
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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of persecuting Biden weaponized Law Enforcement against his political opponent, while also persecuting many other innocent people. — New York Times, 11 June 2026 Jack Hayford, the founder of the King’s University, in Texas, claimed that the film was persecuting Christians, who only wanted to be treated equally. — Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026 Behind the story One of the really big stories on my beat covering China for the last decade has been Beijing's intensive ramp-up in detaining and persecuting Uyghurs, a primarily Muslim ethnic minority. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 May 2026 The South African government has denied persecuting the ethnic minority, composed of descendants of European settlers, mostly from the Netherlands. — Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 19 May 2026 Saddam towered over Iraq’s political regime for nearly 30 years, plunging the country into multiple destructive wars, persecuting his own citizens and inflicting widespread trauma and suffering. — David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Apr. 2026 The order also accused the Cuban government of persecuting political opponents, suppressing free speech and the press, and committing other human rights violations—actions that have been documented by human rights organizations over the years. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 17 Mar. 2026 The term refers to biblical passages in which Jesus described Jews in specific communities who were persecuting the early Christians. — Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 4 Feb. 2026 Troops are occupying our cities and persecuting our people. — Maria Guinnip, Oklahoman, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecuting
  1. plaguing
  2. bothering
  3. afflicting
  4. annoying
  5. torturing
  6. bugging
  7. attacking
  8. irritating
Verb
  • The change comes amid recent scorching temperatures plaguing Californians statewide — temperatures that can pose a threat to their health.
    — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 28 July 2026
  • This completely sidesteps current debates plaguing Medicare Part B — namely, rapidly mounting medication spending has driven higher premiums and out-of-pocket payments for beneficiaries.
    — Pooja Yerramilli, STAT, 24 July 2026
Definition of plaguing
Verb
  • Wasps are generally more interested in building their colony and finding food than in bothering people.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 July 2026
  • But after going ahead, England manager Thomas Tuchel tried to shut the back door by throwing on countless defenders and not bothering to attack Argentina anymore.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • Other writers have successfully captured the malaise afflicting the under-45 crowd and offered nutrient-dense characters.
    — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • One hour of media day player interviews, amid all the narratives afflicting the sport, felt like a long time to hold your breath.
    — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of afflicting
Verb
  • Of course, this would depend on whether the managers choose to pick their strongest teams in what for some is a meaningless, even annoying extra fixture, for squads who just want to go home.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • The Manchester City star is fully back to his 2024 Ballon d’Or-winning self, marshaling the middle, providing amazing connection between the front and back and even annoying the French players with some gamesmanship near the end.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Chilean prosecutors believe Ojeda died while his captors were torturing him to get information about the Venezuelan political opposition.
    — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
  • In addition to its prior ties to al-Qaeda, HTS has been accused by the UN and other organizations of human rights abuses against women and children, as well as torturing and executing detainees.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of torturing
Verb
  • The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
  • His doctor had been bugging him for years to get a colonoscopy because of his age, but Driggers declined.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
Definition of bugging
Verb
  • Okot applied that advice by limiting unnecessary dribbles and attacking the basket more efficiently.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 28 July 2026
  • Zizou helped lead his national team to its first-ever World Cup trophy, with the attacking midfielder scoring two goals in the 1998 final.
    — Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • While retinol on its own can be irritating, especially on sensitive skin, applying it as a moisturizer can help minimize irritation and soothe the skin—a genius product, IMO.
    — Anna Traver, InStyle, 31 July 2026
  • Be honest about what’s irritating or tempting you, because something’s got to give!
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of irritating

Browse Nearby Words

persecutes
persecuting
persecution
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Persecuting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecuting. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on persecuting

Nglish: Translation of persecuting for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All