persecutive

adjective

Definition of persecutivenext
as in frightening

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecutive
  1. frightening
  2. persecutory
  3. scary
  4. chilling
  5. harassing
  6. formidable
  7. terrifying
  8. terrible
Adjective
  • His solution was to ride at a frightening pace from the outset of stages, hoping to shed his rival from his back wheel — an approach that rewarded him with king of the mountains points throughout the Tour’s final week.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • The most frightening scenario to many officials on both sides of the border is that the United States might use Rocha’s case as a pretext to strike Mexico.
    — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • For example, Americans living during World War II developed persecutory delusions involving Germans, while those living during the Cold War focused on communists.
    — Alaina Vandervoort Burns, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of persecutory
Adjective
  • The Bang Bang Gang shifted momentum, but sent Clark Connors crashing onto the steel steps in a legitimately scary spot.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Video footage obtained by PEOPLE shows the scary moment the slingshot-style ride malfunctioned as one of the wires that attaches to the car appears to abruptly snap off.
    — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
Definition of scary
Adjective
  • The exhibit's visitors can get a chilling feel for the time, with full scale recreations of the annex rooms where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis.
    — Marie Saavedra, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • How to Pack a Cooler for Longer-Lasting Ice Start by pre-chilling the cooler and all the food and drinks before packing them.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 30 July 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • The first complaint, in which a clerk made similar accusations of abusive and harassing conduct, was filed with the circuit court in 2022, not long after Merriam’s appointment.
    — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
  • The line is crossed when someone’s conduct at work becomes disrespectful, harassing, intimidating, discriminatory, or disruptive to the team.
    — Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025
Definition of harassing
Adjective
  • Anyone in the bout would make a formidable champion, but given Flair’s lengthy history with Ripley, that is the most high-profile unification bout WWE could possibly do down the road.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The episode reveals the formidable powers available to a president to target his enemies.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of formidable
Adjective
  • Pinnock, in particular, is at his best here, showcasing a diabolical cruelty and terrifying manipulation, elevating the story and the show to a different level.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • Here's a selection of spectacular photos of the July Buck Moon 2026 captured alongside gorgeous natural landscapes, terrifying wildfires and stunning cityscapes from around the world.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • My scheduler needed no prompting to tell me the system was terrible.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • During that terrible season, 71% of California Dungeness boats stopped fishing and more than 200 jobs were lost.
    — Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of terrible
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.

Browse Nearby Words

persecutions
persecutive
persecutor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Persecutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutive. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

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'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
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

How long is a jiffy?

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