persecution
Americannoun
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the act of persecuting.
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the state of being persecuted.
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a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate people based on their membership in a religious, ethnic, social, or racial group.
the persecutions of Christians by the Romans.
noun
Usage
What does persecution mean? Persecution is the act of harassing or oppressing a person or a group of people, especially because of their identity.Throughout history, people have faced persecution because of their religion, race, ethnicity, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and many other factors.Example: People have been using the forum to call attention to the ongoing persecution of Muslims.
Other Word Forms
- nonpersecution noun
- persecutional adjective
Etymology
Origin of persecution
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English persecucio(u)n, from Late Latin persecūtiōn-, stem of persecūtiō (in Latin: “prosecution”), from Latin persecūt(us) “followed thoroughly, prosecuted” (past participle of persequī “to follow thoroughly, prosecute”; persecute ) + -iō -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many may not want to give up the fight or allow a transition unless they feel they could receive some kind of protection or reassurance from persecution themselves.
From BBC
On Monday, Information Minister Mohammed Idris said that recent tensions with the US over insecurity and alleged persecution of Christians had been "largely resolved", resulting in stronger relations with Washington.
From BBC
Abuja maintains that it does not tolerate any religious persecution.
From Barron's
West Bengal, like others along the frontier, has long seen waves of migration as people sought work or fled religious persecution.
From BBC
The couple endured a lot in those years, more than 30 of which have been spent in the U.S., after they fled religious persecution in India.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
