PERSECUTORS Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

persecutors

noun

plural of persecutor

as in torturers

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

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as in nuisances

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

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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 persecutors Are prisoners in Nazi concentration camps not the legal owners of artworks they were forced to make by their SS persecutors? — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Honoring the undocumented and decrying their persecutors at the height of her career, against political headwinds and with nothing to gain and everything to lose, was par for her life, and a challenge for all of us to do the same. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 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 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 persecutors

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 torturers

Noun

But coyotes, with their abundant numbers and reputation as nuisances, are not.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Take some time to seal gaps in window and door frames with weatherproof caulk to prevent fall stink bug problems, along with roaches, boxelder bugs, cluster flies, and other nuisances.

— Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of nuisances

Noun

Each nutty denunciation of his imaginary tormentors includes a plea for a presidential pardon.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
The attacks lead to the fateful events of prom night — a famous moment from King’s original— in which Carrie, who’s become aware of growing telekinetic powers, turns her abilities on her tormenters when she’s finally pushed over the edge.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026

Definition of tormentors

Noun

Although generally hardy, the plant is susceptible to certain diseases, including anthracnose and bacterial soft rot, as well as pests such as spider mites, caterpillars, and whiteflies.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
These beneficial predators spend the winter under leaves, emerging in spring to feed on common garden pests such as aphids, slugs and mites.

— Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of pests

Noun

The third season sees Ranma and fiancée Akane have to deal with old annoyances, new dangers, and even more shenanigans.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
People are exhausted by subscriptions, signing up for apps, logins, passwords, and other first-world annoyances that are now common in the search to watch a game on TV.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of annoyances

Noun

Even though the chat took place at the Javits Center, where New York Comic Con will be held over the next few days, the point of the session was not plot teases or fan service.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
The final exchange is honestly the strangest and teases what’s in store for this week’s SNL episode.

— Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of teases

Noun

Investigators later determined that attackers gained control through a SIM swap involving the phone number associated with the SEC account.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Data breaches hand attackers the right facts, and generative AI can now supply a matching face and voice.

— Caryn Seidman Becker, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of attackers

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persecutor

persecutors

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“Persecutors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutors. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of persecutors

noun

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