as in oppressed
suffering grave abuse or injustice at the hands of one in authority
a nation that is still regarded as a refuge for persecuted people from around the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in afflicted
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in annoyed
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecuted
Adjective
-
Archbishop Óscar Romero, assassinated for advocating on behalf of El Salvador’s oppressed, invoked Exodus passionately, urging his community to break free from oppressive structures.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2025 -
The 2022 protests demonstrated that women, alongside other oppressed and disadvantaged groups, are at the heart of these movements.—
Narges Mohammadi,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Ringo was yellow submarines and octopus gardens, the mascot little brother, despite being the eldest Beatle, and the best at flittering above the feuds that afflicted the trio of geniuses around him.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Unfortunately, this fresh ailment has afflicted him for the majority of his 2024-25 run.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Not seeing his name on the list should have annoyed him.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
-
While typically a crowd at a concert might have been annoyed that the performer stopped the show to have a chat with a fan, the audience couldn’t have been more supportive and receptive.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
With the exception of the Russell 2000, which gained 1%, none of the major indices bothered to get out of bed the day after Christmas.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
-
The technology behind an LLM is sufficiently advanced because the people using it have not bothered to understand it.—
Elizabeth Lopatto,
The Verge,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In recent months, the Kennedy Center has been besieged by performance cancelations both voluntary and involuntary.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
-
At the start of the invasion, Russian troops besieged the city, forcing residents to endure harsh winter conditions without electricity or water under constant shelling from Russian artillery, missiles and drones.—
Illia Novikov,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Spartans’ top-five defense slowed New Mexico’s blistering pace and attacked the paint on the opposite end.—
Justin Williams,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Canada attacked more fervently afterwards .—
Joshua Kloke,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Persecuted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecuted. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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