persecuted 1 of 2

adjective

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

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persecuted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of persecute
1
as in afflicted
to cause persistent suffering to people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith

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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

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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 persecuted
Verb
Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said. — Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous. — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026 The Tates have denied all allegations and have claimed they are being persecuted for their views. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026 Many see Trump as the only president to defend Nigerian Christians; his administration claims they are being persecuted by Islamist groups. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026 Fernanda risked her life not only to protect works of art during the war, but also to help politically persecuted people escape the Fascist regime. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026 García Luna pledged to restore independence and public confidence in the Public Ministry and began reviewing cases involving officials, journalists, and others who alleged that they had been politically persecuted under the previous administration. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026 Many Marranos persecuted by the Inquisition did secretly maintain a Jewish identity. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Since mutants are often feared and persecuted, Professor Charles Xavier, one of the most powerful telepaths in the comics canon, opens a School for Gifted Youngsters as a safe haven for young wayward mutants. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecuted
  1. oppressed
  2. afflicted
  3. annoyed
  4. plagued
  5. bothered
  6. tortured
  7. irritated
  8. besieged
Adjective
  • Roosevelt’s patrician upbringing, as well as ties to her husband’s career, led to certain frictions between the two, with Murray consistently urging the First Lady to act on behalf of Black Americans and other oppressed peoples.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
  • All of us artists could stand to be more like Mark, willing to speak out for oppressed people everywhere, even when powerful people try to bully us into silence.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of oppressed
Verb
  • Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
  • While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of afflicted
Verb
  • Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Williams is annoyed and wants order while Kirke is hardly paying attention and lugs vases of flowers through her home.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoyed
Verb
  • Speculation and conspiracy theories have plagued Kirk’s death, fueled even by public figures such as Candace Owens, a longtime friend of Kirk, who has been outspoken about her belief that his death was orchestrated in an elaborate plot.
    — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Hoover’s replacement has thus far been a miss, and the problem that plagued this program in losses in each of the last two years has not changed.
    — Mac Engel October 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of plagued
Verb
  • This is a dense picture—there’s almost too much to unpack, if you can be bothered to care about any of it.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Being different has never bothered Dublin coach Roger Holmes.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • Hundreds of thousands of women were tried, tortured, and executed for witchcraft in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • According to Bilal and his brother Judy, neither Ahmed nor anyone else in his family had ever been arrested or tortured by the regime.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • The episode confused and irritated the Red Sox, and following Saturday’s win starting pitcher Sonny Gray acknowledged that Alexander’s antics had provided the club with extra motivation.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The comments irritated Ilicali, who took to social media in response.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritated
Verb
  • The settlers who carried out the attack in Jalud overnight are the same group who besieged the home of a Palestinian-American in the neighboring village of Qusra last month, local residents say.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
  • There has been a spate of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, and the village of Qusra has been besieged by Israeli settlers for weeks.
    — F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of besieged

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Cite this Entry

“Persecuted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecuted. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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