Persecute — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

cause to suffer

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/pˈɜːsɪkjˌuːt/

🇬🇧British English

/pˈɜːsɪkjˌuːt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/pˈɜːsɪkjˌuːt/

3 syllables Say it as /pˈɜːsɪkjˌuːt/.

Examples

Jews were persecuted in the former Soviet Union

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

oppress

Parts of Speech

verb	cause to suffer “Jews were persecuted in the former Soviet Union”

Word Forms

persecution	noun	the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion)
persecutor	noun	someone who torments
oppressive	adjective	marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior
oppressor	noun	a person of authority who subjects others to undue pressures

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

verfolgen

Anlass zum Leid geben

🇫🇷French

persécuter

faire souffrir

🇪🇸Spanish

perseguir

causar sufrimiento

🇮🇹Italian

perseguitare

far soffrire

🇳🇱Dutch

vervolgen

veroorzaken om te lijden

🇵🇹Portuguese

perseguir

fazer sofrer

🇷🇺Russian

преследовать

причинять страдания

India

🇮🇳Hindi

सताना

कष्ट का कारण बनना

🇧🇩Bengali

তাড়না

কষ্ট পেতে কারণ

🇮🇳Tamil

துன்புறுத்துகின்றன

துன்பத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும்

🇮🇳Telugu

పీడించు

బాధ కలిగిస్తాయి

🇮🇳Marathi

छळ

त्रास देणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

સતાવણી

ભોગવવાનું કારણ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಿರುಕುಳ

ಅನುಭವಿಸಲು ಕಾರಣವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

പീഡിപ്പിക്കുക

കഷ്ടപ്പെടാൻ കാരണമാകുന്നു

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸਤਾਉਣਾ

ਦੁੱਖ ਦਾ ਕਾਰਨ

🇵🇰Urdu

ستانا

تکلیف کا باعث

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

迫害

导致受苦

🇯🇵Japanese

迫害する

苦しむ原因となる

🇰🇷Korean

박해하다

고통을 주다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

bắt bớ

gây ra đau khổ

🇹🇭Thai

ข่มเหง

ทำให้เกิดความทุกข์

🇮🇩Indonesian

menganiaya

menyebabkan penderitaan

🇵🇭Filipino

usigin

dahilan upang magdusa

🇲🇾Malay

menganiaya

menyebabkan menderita

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

اضطهاد

سبب للمعاناة

🇮🇷Persian

آزار و اذیت

باعث رنج بردن

🇹🇷Turkish

zulmetmek

acı çekmesine neden olmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִרְדוֹף

לגרום לסבל

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'persecute'?

The primary meaning of 'persecute' is 'cause to suffer'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'persecute' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'persecute' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'persecute' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'persecute' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'persecute' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'persecute' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'persecute' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'persecute' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'persecute' in a professional email?

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Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'persecute' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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