PERSECUTOR Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

persecutor

noun

Definition of persecutor

as in torturer

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 persecutor Are prisoners in Nazi concentration camps not the legal owners of artworks they were forced to make by their SS persecutors? — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Honoring the undocumented and decrying their persecutors at the height of her career, against political headwinds and with nothing to gain and everything to lose, was par for her life, and a challenge for all of us to do the same. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The Bible relates the remarkable transformation of Saul of Tarsus – at one time a violent persecutor of Christians – who became a powerful teacher-by-example of love and peace. — Margaret Rogers, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026 Third graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul's transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower. — CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026 Paul was a former persecutor of Christians who became a missionary and was later beheaded in Rome. — Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025 Amish are part of the wider Anabaptist movement, which puts heavy emphasis on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, containing some of his most radical and counter-cultural sayings — to love enemies, live simply, bless persecutors, turn the other cheek and to endure sufferings joyfully. — Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecutor

Noun

Red is immediately abducted, cut open in an ambulance, and injected with pain-magnifying drugs by his torturers, while Liz accidentally murders the mysterious man surveilling her next door.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
Aaron escapes his torturers, first by rooting himself in the town’s only movie theater open to Black people, and then by lying about his age and enlisting in the Navy at 16.

— Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

Definition of torturer

Noun

For homeowners who have spent decades building equity, failing windows are more than a nuisance.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Legal experts on the other side question the notion that a public nuisance can be defined so broadly to include both the sale of a legal product and the impact on carbon pollution, much of it coming from China and India.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of nuisance

Noun

Even though the chat took place at the Javits Center, where New York Comic Con will be held over the next few days, the point of the session was not plot teases or fan service.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
That last detail was doing double duty as a tease for a new product from Bieber coming our way soon.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of tease

Noun

The third season sees Ranma and fiancée Akane have to deal with old annoyances, new dangers, and even more shenanigans.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
While some experts cite the threat of civilian drones being equipped to deliver explosives or chemical or biological agents, authorities and defense executives say the more common risk is annoyance and interruption.

— Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of annoyance

Noun

Parton’s ability to become the harasser without falling into some version of male drag makes this short sequence far superior to the many films with a similar premise that followed.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
White stars can help by publicly supporting their Black colleagues, who are especially targeted by online trolls and harassers.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of harasser

Noun

Bats are invaluable in agriculture, gorging on pests that target crops — corn earworms, brown stink bugs, cucumber beetles and more.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Some populations of the insect use hawthorn fruits, rather than apples, to complete their life cycle and are not considered significant agricultural pests.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of pest

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persecutive

persecutor

persecutors

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“Persecutor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutor. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of persecutor

noun

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