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
Relevance
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
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
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
-
Couples who respect yellow lights tend to build trust, because hesitation is treated as valuable input, not as a nuisance.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
In this era of college athletics what was once a nuisance and an annoyance — college classes — now often appear to not even be a part of the equation.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Each regime, from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic, claimed to uphold human rights and castigated its predecessors as torturers, only to ratchet up the incarceration of political opponents.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The quirky tease came on the heels of Doja making her debut as a Global Ambassador for MAC.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
During the conversation, the Universal leader gave just a tease at what’s to come in the years ahead.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Anxiety can contribute to feelings of frustration, annoyance, or anger.—
Angela Ryan Lee,
Verywell Health,
4 Sep. 2025
-
And yet, by the end, my confusion and annoyance almost felt like the point.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
The digital classroom created a virtual commons where strangers swap pest-control tips instead of partisan jabs.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Like aphids and other soft-bodied pests, sawfly larvae will dry out or suffocate when covered in these products.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Brown-Trickey was eventually suspended for standing up to her tormentors, while her white aggressors went unpunished.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecutor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutor. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share