1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she likes to persecute her sister with pointless, annoying questions at very inopportune times
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persecute
Miller wrote the play as an allegory for McCarthyism, when the U.S. government persecuted people of being communists.
—
Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Alawites have become a community besieged, set to be excluded — if not persecuted — by the Sunni political class now in ascendance.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
After the war broke out, Lina insisted on helping shield the persecuted – Jews and Roma, among them – at great risk.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2025
According to court records, two plaintiffs fled Afghanistan due to fears that the Taliban might persecute them over their support for the United States.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Alawites have become a community besieged, set to be excluded — if not persecuted — by the Sunni political class now in ascendance.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
After the war broke out, Lina insisted on helping shield the persecuted – Jews and Roma, among them – at great risk.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2025
According to court records, two plaintiffs fled Afghanistan due to fears that the Taliban might persecute them over their support for the United States.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecute
Verb
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Relying heavily on retrospective interviews and self-reporting, these approaches, still widely used in marketing and management, are plagued by recall bias and rationalization.—
Benjamin Voyer,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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The industry is further plagued by the high incidence of idol suicides and grueling work conditions required for success.—
Chad de Guzman,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Waltz now has a bunch of top officials, and their teams, who are annoyed at him for drawing bad publicity.—
Marc Caputo,
Axios,
25 Mar. 2025
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However, standing in the middle of a road to capture the Eiffel Tower in the background is not only unsafe but can also annoy locals.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In ways both provocative and beautiful, Faustine’s photography explored conditions afflicting Black women across time.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
21 Mar. 2025
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Most of the United States’ Northeastern states would be among the more afflicted, as would be the Great Lakes region.—
Katharina Buchholz,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Because Congress never bothered to write a law to establish it.—
Jay Cost,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
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Chicago Bears - Will Campbell, OL, LSU Will Campbell has fallen a bit due to his shorter arm length, but that likely won't bother Ben Johnson.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Maybe the two of them are held prisoner down there for a while, being tortured by Milchick (or whomever is brought in to replace him after two separate catastrophes have happened under his watch).—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
21 Mar. 2025
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Reyes Barrios, who marched in protests against the Maduro regime in February and March 2024, had been tortured by government officials.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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First, coffee is significantly more acidic than matcha, which can irritate some people's stomachs or cause heartburn.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
26 Mar. 2025
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She’s disillusioned with her boyfriend and irritated by her mother.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Maria accepts the role; because of her age, Christine has to sign a waiver, and Maria is next seen witnessing a scrum of paparazzi besieging Marlon Brando (played by Matt Dillon) on location.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2025
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Well-wishers so besieged Moore that the actress had to be informed formally that the engraving process was complete.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Ferrell bugs his eyes out and sighs a series of increasingly desperate spit-takes, but this project was probably doomed from the get-go.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2025
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The movie's famous final scene sees Hackman's character playing the saxophone after his paranoia has led him to destroy his entire apartment to see if it was bugged.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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