1
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
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
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Recent Examples of persecutor
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.
—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 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
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.
—
ABC News,
7 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
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
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 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
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.
—
ABC News,
7 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
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
-
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.
-
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.
Noun
-
And to add insult to social and cultural injury, the new policies also present a logistical nuisance.
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In New York, night clubs were sometimes regarded as a civic nuisance; one obstacle was the city’s cabaret law, from 1926, which required bars to obtain a special permit if patrons were dancing and was not fully repealed until 2017.
Noun
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The Venice Film Festival is providing a little erotic tease ahead of its official program, screening Italian softcore thriller Deadly Sweet in its pre-opening slot ahead of this year’s event.
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Dancehall sounds like a tease in the dead of winter.
Noun
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Friedland describes the ritual with the mixture of reverence and annoyance that marks many of his best observations.
-
Game changer, annoyance, or something in between?
Noun
-
There is just no defending that behavior, and the harasser/scumbag should walk the plank, so to speak.
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Still, the star did not name her harassers.
Noun
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Run a fan near seating and dining areas to keep flying pests off food and guests.
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Other reuses include pest control, landscaping, and winter chores.
Noun
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But her primary tormenter, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested last year under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
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So Jacob is now related to his tormentor.
Noun
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Anyone who thinks the only alternative to being a victim is to be a victimizer is missing some important possibilities.
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Even if online shaming continues, this accountability will make sure that the victimizer will face social consequences as well.
Cite this Entry
“Persecutor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecutor. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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