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Synonyms

persecution

American  
[pur-si-kyoo-shuhn] / ˌpɜr sɪˈkyu ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of persecuting.

  2. the state of being persecuted.

  3. a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate people based on their membership in a religious, ethnic, social, or racial group.

    the persecutions of Christians by the Romans.
persecution British  
/ ˌpɜːsɪˈkjuːʃən /

noun

  1. the act of persecuting or the state of being persecuted

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does persecution mean? Persecution is the act of harassing or oppressing a person or a group of people, especially because of their identity.Throughout history, people have faced persecution because of their religion, race, ethnicity, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and many other factors.Example: People have been using the forum to call attention to the ongoing persecution of Muslims.

Other Word Forms

  • nonpersecution noun
  • persecutional adjective

Etymology

Origin of persecution

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English persecucio(u)n, from Late Latin persecūtiōn-, stem of persecūtiō (in Latin: “prosecution”), from Latin persecūt(us) “followed thoroughly, prosecuted” (past participle of persequī “to follow thoroughly, prosecute”; persecute ) + -iō -ion

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.