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persecuted - 20 thesaurus results
| 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 |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | aggrieved |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very distressed |
| Synonyms: | afflicted, depressed, disturbed, harmed, hurt, injured, oppressed, pained, peeved, unhappy, woeful, grieving, persecuted, saddened, wronged |
| Antonyms: | happy, pleased |
| Main Entry: | downtrodden |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | afflicted, abused |
| Synonyms: | a slave to, abject, at one's beck and call, at one's feet, at one's mercy, destitute, distressed, exploited, have-not, helpless, in one's clutches, in one's pocket, in one's power, led by the nose, maltreated, mistreated, needy, oppressed, overcome, persecuted, subjugated, subservient, suppressed, tyrannized, under one's thumb, underdog*, underfoot |
| Antonyms: | happy, respected, satisfied |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | oppressed |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | downtrodden |
| Synonyms: | a slave to, abject, abused, at one's feet, at one's mercy, burdened, destitute, distressed, enslaved, exploited, have-not, helpless, maltreated, mistreated, persecuted, subservient, suppressed, tormented, tyrannized, under one's thumb, underfoot |
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | physically hurt or injure |
| Synonyms: | beat up, corrupt, cut up*, damage, defile, deprave, desecrate, harm, hose*, impair, maltreat, mar, mess up*, mishandle, mistreat, misuse, molest, oppress, persecute, pollute*, rough up, roughhouse, ruin, shake up*, spoil, taint, total*, victimize, violate, wax*, bang up, bung up, ill-treat |
| Antonyms: | cherish, defend, help, preserve, protect, respect |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | abuse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | attack with words |
| Synonyms: | backbite, bad-mouth, bash, belittle, berate, calumniate, cap*, castigate, cut down*, decry, defame, derogate, discount, insult, knock*, minimize, nag, offend, oppress, persecute, pick on, put down*, reproach, revile, ride*, run down*, scold, signify, slam*, slap*, smear*, sound*, trash*, upbraid, vilify, vituperate, zing*, blow off*, cuss out, cut to the quick, do a number on, dump on, give a black eye, hurl brickbat, rag on, rip up, sling mud, swear at, tear apart |
| Antonyms: | acclaim, adulate, approve, commend, compliment, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| 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, storm, tease, vex, worry, put upon, set upon, siege |
| Main Entry: | bully |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | intimidate, push around |
| Synonyms: | bludgeon, bluster, browbeat, bulldoze, coerce, cow, domineer, enforce, harass, hector, menace, oppress, persecute, swagger, terrorize, threaten, torment, torture, tyrannize, buffalo, despotize, dragoon, lean on, overbear, ride roughshod, showboat, turn on the heat, walk heavy |
| Antonyms: | allow, leave alone |
| Main Entry: | crucify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | execute; torture near to death |
| Synonyms: | hang, kill, martyr, persecute, rack, torment, torture, excruciate, harrow, martyrize, nail to cross |
| Antonyms: | exalt |
| Main Entry: | follow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | trail, pursue physically |
| Synonyms: | accompany, attend, chase, convoy, dog*, escort, freeze, hound*, hunt, onto*, persecute, run down, search, seek, shadow, spook*, stalk, string along, tag, tail, track, bring up the rear, catenate, come with, concatenate, dog the footsteps of, draggle, give chase, go after, go with, put a tail on, run after, schlepp along, shag, stick to, tag after, tag along, tailgate, take out after |
| Antonyms: | lead, precede, go before |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | grind |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | oppress |
| Synonyms: | afflict, annoy, harass, hound, persecute, plague, trouble, tyrannize, vex, hold down |
| 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 |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | harry |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pester, annoy |
| Synonyms: | attack, badger, bedevil, beleaguer, devastate, disturb, fret, gnaw, harass, hassle, irk, irritate, molest, persecute, perturb, pillage, plague, plunder, ravage, sack, tease, torment, trouble, upset, vex, worry, chivy, depredate, lay waste |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, help, support |
| Main Entry: | hound |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | chase, badger |
| Synonyms: | annoy, bait, be at, be on one's back, be on one's case, be on one's tail, beat the bushes*, bird-dog, bother, bug, chivy, curdle, dog*, drive, give chase, goad, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, hector, hunt, hunt down, impel, leave no stone unturned, persecute, pester, prod, provoke, pursue, rag on, rag*, ride, scout, scratch, scratch around, search high heaven, tail, take out after, track down, turn inside out, turn upside down, yap at |
| Antonyms: | leave alone |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | molest |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, annoy |
| Synonyms: | abuse, afflict, badger, bait, bedevil, beset, break in, bug*, confuse, discommode, discompose, disquiet, disturb, encroach, frighten, harass, harry, heckle, hector, interrupt, intrude, irk, irritate, obtrude, persecute, perturb, pester, plague, pother, pursue, scare, tease, terrify, torment, trouble, upset, vex, worry |
| Antonyms: | assist, cheer, please, make happy |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | oppress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | depress, subdue |
| Synonyms: | abuse, afflict, aggrieve, annoy, burden, crush, dishearten, distress, encumber, force, handicap, harass, harry, hound*, maltreat, outrage, overcome, overload, overpower, overthrow, overwhelm, persecute, pick on, plague, press, prey on, put down, ride, rule, sadden, saddle*, smother, strain, subjugate, suppress, tax, torment, torture, trample, trouble, vex, worry, wrong, beat down*, despotize, dispirit, keep down, put screws to, put the squeeze on, put upon, tyrranize, weigh heavy upon |
| Antonyms: | aid, boost, delight, gladden, help, make happy |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | outrage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | wrong, offend, abuse |
| Synonyms: | affront, aggrieve, defile, deflower, desecrate, force, incense, infuriate, injure, insult, jar*, madden, maltreat, mistreat, misuse, oppress, persecute, raise Cain*, rape, ravage, ravish, scandalize, shock, spoil, violate, whip up*, boil over*, burn up*, do violence to, fire up, ill- treat, kick up a row, make hit the ceiling, reach boiling point |
| Antonyms: | delight, please, make happy |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | plague |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | annoy, disturb |
| Synonyms: | afflict, badger, bedevil, beleaguer, bother, chafe, fret, gall, gnaw, harass, harry, hassle, haunt, hector, hound, infest, irk, molest, pain, persecute, pester, pursue, ride, tease, torment, torture, trouble, vex, worry |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, help, please |
| Main Entry: | rack |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | torture; strain |
| Synonyms: | afflict, agonize, crucify, distress, force, harass, martyr, oppress, pain, persecute, pull, shake, stress, stretch, tear, torment, try, wrench, wring, excruciate, harrow |
| Antonyms: | please, pleasure, soothe |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.

