persecutive

adjective

Definition of persecutivenext
as in frightening

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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
  • But the ordeal was frightening and bewildering for Cliffel, who still didn't know what had caused her behavior.
    — Deborah Becker, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a frightening imbalance in how the mainstream media report on these candidates, which tends to take it pretty easy on the latter.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 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
  • After the crew leaves the island with the sun god’s cattle, the seas are vicious, scary, and violent.
    — Wisdom Iheanyichukwu, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The 13-year-old has his life back after a scary ordeal with epilepsy that seemed to come out of nowhere three years ago.
    — Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of scary
Adjective
  • The chilling tale marks YouTube creator Curry Barker’s debut feature.
    — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026
  • In the documentary, Barker remembers the events of the night in chilling detail.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 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
  • Miami entered the game riding a seven-match unbeaten streak in league play and leading MLS with 45 goals, but facing a formidable foe in Nashville.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
  • This one stars Cox himself as a mysterious and formidable old man in an undertaker’s suit and parson’s hat who wanders into an Arizona border town in 1890 to gather the names of dead Mexican laborers.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of formidable
Adjective
  • Video captured recently in Botswana shows the terrifying moment a tourist boat had to outpace a charging hippo.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The bandages, cuts and stitches were still fresh from the terrifying attack on Jones Street on Wednesday evening.
    — Tammy Mutasa, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrifying
Adjective
  • That Crowley came from behind to win was a testament to Evers’ grit and determination to keep the nomination from Hong, whom Evers said was unlikely to win in November, and to how terrible of a campaigner Hong turned out to be in the home stretch.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Although the Constitution requires congressional involvement in war-making, Trump like Nixon disdained that mandate with terrible consequences.
    — Elizabeth Holtzman, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Persecutive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutive. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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