| Main Entry: | persecute |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | wrong, torment |
Synonyms: |
afflict, aggrieve, annoy, badger, bait, be on one's case, beat, bother, crucify, distress, dog*, dragoon, drive up the wall, exile, expel, harass, hector, hound, hunt, ill-treat, injure, maltreat, martyr, molest, oppress, outrage, pester, pick on, plague, pursue, tease, torture, tyrannize, vex, victimize, worry |
| Notes: | persecute means 'to harass or treat unjustly'; prosecute is 'to bring legal action against' or 'to pursue something until the end' |
Antonyms: |
comfort, commend, console, reward, soothe |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | physically hurt or injure |
Synonyms: |
bang up, beat up, bung up, corrupt, cut up, damage, defile, deprave, desecrate, harm, hose, ill-treat, impair, maltreat, mar, mess up*, mishandle, mistreat, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pollute, rough up, roughhouse, ruin, shake up, spoil, taint, total*, victimize, violate, wax |
| Notes: | abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it |
Antonyms: |
cherish, defend, help, preserve, protect, respect |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack with words |
Synonyms: |
backbite, bad-mouth, bash, belittle, berate, blow off, calumniate, cap, castigate, cuss out, cut down, cut to the quick, decry, defame, derogate, discount, do a number on, dump on, give a black eye, hurl brickbat, insult, knock*, minimize, nag, offend, oppress, persecute, pick on, put down*, rag on, reproach, revile, ride*, rip up, run down, scold, signify, slam*, slap, sling mud, smear, sound*, swear at, tear apart, trash*, upbraid, vilify, vituperate, zing |
Antonyms: |
acclaim, adulate, approve, commend, compliment, praise |
| Main Entry: | bait |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | needle |
Synonyms: |
anger, annoy, badger, bother, gall, harass, heckle, hound, irk, irritate, nag, persecute, provoke, tease, torment |
| Main Entry: | beleaguer |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | harass, besiege |
Synonyms: |
annoy, badger, bedevil, beset, blockade, bother, gnaw, harry, nag, persecute, pester, plague, put upon, set upon, siege, storm, tease, vex, worry |
| Main Entry: | bully |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | intimidate, push around |
Synonyms: |
bludgeon, bluster, browbeat, buffalo, bulldoze, coerce, cow, despotize, domineer, dragoon, enforce, harass, hector, lean on, menace, oppress, overbear, persecute, ride roughshod, showboat, swagger, terrorize, threaten, torment, torture, turn on the heat, tyrannize, walk heavy |
Antonyms: |
allow, leave alone |
| Main Entry: | crucify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | execute; torture near to death |
Synonyms: |
excruciate, hang, harrow, kill, martyr, martyrize, nail to cross, persecute, rack, torment, torture |
Antonyms: |
exalt |
| Main Entry: | follow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | trail, pursue physically |
Synonyms: |
accompany, attend, bring up the rear, catenate, chase, come with, concatenate, convoy, dog the footsteps of, dog*, draggle, escort, freeze, give chase, go after, go with, hound, hunt, onto, persecute, put a tail on, run after, run down, schlepp along, search, seek, shadow, shag, spook, stalk, stick to, string along, tag, tag after, tag along, tail, tailgate, take out after, track |
Antonyms: |
go before, lead, precede |
| Main Entry: | grind |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | oppress |
Synonyms: |
afflict, annoy, harass, hold down, hound, persecute, plague, trouble, tyrannize, vex |
Antonyms: |
free, liberate |
| Main Entry: | harass |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | badger |
Synonyms: |
annoy, attack, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, bother, bug*, bullyrag, burn*, despoil, devil*, distress, disturb, eat*, exasperate, exhaust, fatigue, foray, get to, give a bad time, give a hard time, gnaw, harry, hassle, heckle, hound, intimidate, irk, irritate, jerk around, macerate, maraud, noodge, pain*, perplex, persecute, pester, plague, raid, rattle one's cage, ride, strain, stress, tease, tire, torment, trouble, try, vex, weary, work on, worry |
Antonyms: |
aid, assist, facilitate, help, support |