1
as in tormenter
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
2
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persecutor
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
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
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According to the California Penal Code, a nuisance can be charged as a misdemeanor.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The recent interference with the European Commission President’s aircraft showed how quickly GPS denial can shift from nuisance to geopolitical signal.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For decades, generals, coup-plotters, and torturers walked free under the shield of amnesty laws passed after the country’s 21-year dictatorship.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Is the man actually his torturer?—
Zach Dennis,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The actress also shared a few teases for season 2 of Nobody Wants This, which returns to Netflix next month, and brainstormed ideas for Kristen Bell's husband Dax Shepard to join the cast.—
Breanne L. Heldman,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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There was no tease with a quick start, no slow drip of the game slipping away, pretty much no hope at all by the end of the first inning.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One of my long-standing annoyances with macOS was the lack of control over the menu bar.—
Edward Mendelson,
PC Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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According to her, the girlfriend brushed off the refusal and signaled her annoyance.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The documentary tells the true story of a teenage couple relentlessly bullied via text by an anonymous harasser.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Monitor the bulbs and use a pest repellent to keep hungry squirrels from digging up the bulbs and eating them.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
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If lots of leaves on the plant are yellowing all at once, your monstera may have been invaded by pests.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Adrianna had a history with Khloe Along with the Christmas photo, police flagged Adrianna over a prior dispute with Khloe, who believed she was being framed as Owen and Lauryn's tormentor.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
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The tormentor of a quarterback, whose two touchdown runs were eerily similar to those which fashioned Jeanty a household name and top 10 pick, makes the Bulls a larger blip on Florida’s radar than expected.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecutor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutor. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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