as in harassment
something that causes mental distress
The media's constant persecution was beginning to affect their lives.
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Recent Examples of persecution
Aldo brought along a binder of evidence to corroborate his claims of persecution.
—
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
The intellectual arc Mazower traces is the transformation of antisemitism’s meaning from persecution of Jews on ethnic or religious grounds to any criticism of anything Jews do, even if the Jews in question are the government and defense forces of the state of Israel.
—Book Marks
september 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
The mission concluded that Venezuela’s courts and prosecutors have abandoned any semblance of independence, functioning instead as instruments of political persecution.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Even if symbolic, some argue that the law is an important show of opposition amid wide-ranging federal persecution of non-citizens nationwide which critics have said has had a chilling effect on free speech.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecution
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
The intellectual arc Mazower traces is the transformation of antisemitism’s meaning from persecution of Jews on ethnic or religious grounds to any criticism of anything Jews do, even if the Jews in question are the government and defense forces of the state of Israel.
—Book Marks
september 25, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
The mission concluded that Venezuela’s courts and prosecutors have abandoned any semblance of independence, functioning instead as instruments of political persecution.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Even if symbolic, some argue that the law is an important show of opposition amid wide-ranging federal persecution of non-citizens nationwide which critics have said has had a chilling effect on free speech.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecution
Noun
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For the better part of the 2010s, Twitter struggled to balance a desire for free-speech maximalism with scattershot attempts to quell harassment on the platform.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
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Bukele had been waging a harassment campaign against El Faro, which had aggressively covered corruption in his government.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Verbatim Reginald Dwayne Betts A 2012 essay from the American Poetry Review on poetry and the architecture of anger.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Oct. 2025
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Morocco Anti-government protests fueled by anger over Morocco pouring money into preparations for the 2030 World Cup instead of public services have raged in the country for nearly a week.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For mild flare-ups, hydrocortisone cream can reduce itching and irritation.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
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Hydrocortisone Cream Bug bites, rashes, and random skin irritations can flare up fast while traveling.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecution. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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