PERSECUTOR Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

persecutor

noun

Definition of persecutor

as in torturer

a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another years later his schoolyard persecutor would end up being one of his low-paid employees

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nuisance

one who is obnoxiously annoying on this flight my airline-appointed persecutor was a chattering nitwit who could not stop talking about himself

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 persecutor Third-graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul’s transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower. — Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Third graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul's transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower. — CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026 Third graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul's transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower. — ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026 Paul was a former persecutor of Christians who became a missionary and was later beheaded in Rome. — Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025 Amish are part of the wider Anabaptist movement, which puts heavy emphasis on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, containing some of his most radical and counter-cultural sayings — to love enemies, live simply, bless persecutors, turn the other cheek and to endure sufferings joyfully. — Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025 The grounds once housed the elaborate palace of first century Roman Emperor Domitian, a persecutor of Christians. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025 That is a nasty process which involves digging up Ambar’s still-fresh corpse, then subjecting it to various grisly indignities night after night as retribution gets visited upon our heroine’s persecutors. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025 Using it to describe this week’s attack on Huwara – or other similar attacks in Israel or Palestine – effectively puts Israel in the place of the Jews’ historic persecutors. — Joshua Shanes, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecutor

Noun

Red is immediately abducted, cut open in an ambulance, and injected with pain-magnifying drugs by his torturers, while Liz accidentally murders the mysterious man surveilling her next door.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
Aaron escapes his torturers, first by rooting himself in the town’s only movie theater open to Black people, and then by lying about his age and enlisting in the Navy at 16.

— Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

Definition of torturer

Noun

Kansas City is asking a judge to put control of a vacant former shopping mall that the city calls a nuisance into new hands.

— Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
These tiny insects are a summertime nuisance that prey on people, pets, and wildlife, including birds, leaving behind an aggravating itch that can last for more than a week.

— Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 22 July 2026

Definition of nuisance

Noun

Liam Gallagher continued his longtime legacy of talking crap about other artists with his recap of this year’s World Cup halftime show, tweeting out various annoyances that plagued him.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 20 July 2026
In recent days, though, broadcasters have predicted the spectacle will cause the regular half-time break to be extended, much to the annoyance of soccer purists.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 July 2026

Definition of annoyance

Noun

These functions can be critical in various applications and scenarios, such as inspections, covert surveillance, search-and-rescue operations, disaster monitoring, and agricultural pest tracking.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 July 2026
While a Tribune analysis of health inspection data found that more than a dozen local restaurants were cited for pest issues over the past month, the CDPH’s food safety inspection team said the findings are relatively routine.

— Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Definition of pest

Noun

There’s Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton), Carrie’s chief tormentor at public school — the one who famously pours pig’s blood on the girl at prom.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
Lionel Messi is an all-timer (not to mention a frequent Atlanta United tormentor) and, at 39 years old, this may be his last World Cup.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 13 July 2026

Definition of tormentor

Noun

Anyone who thinks the only alternative to being a victim is to be a victimizer is missing some important possibilities.

— Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Even if online shaming continues, this accountability will make sure that the victimizer will face social consequences as well.

— Eli Thompson, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2025

Definition of victimizer

Browse Nearby Words

persecutive

persecutor

persecutors

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“Persecutor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutor. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of persecutor

noun

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