persecution

[pur-si-kyoo-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of persecuting.

2. the state of being persecuted.

3. 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.

persecution

/ ˌpɜːsɪˈkjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act of persecuting or the state of being persecuted

Other Word Forms

• persecutional adjective
• nonpersecution noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of persecution¹

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

He has little patience for Christian Zionists such as Huckabee, who he said claim to care for Christians in the region while turning a blind eye to the persecution driving them away.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In an email to the BBC, his office made clear that, unlike Maher, the senator was not calling this a "genocide" but describing "persecution".

Read more on BBC

Amid the absence, those alleging Christian "persecution" might have had an upper hand.

Read more on Barron's

Under the International Religious Freedom Act, designating a country of particular concern can trigger sanctions and other U.S. inducements to address religious persecution.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 2021, he released the song Fragile, which poked fun at Chinese nationalists and touched on politically sensitive topics like the sovereignty of Taiwan and the persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• expulsion 
• ill-treatment www.thesaurus.com
• imprisonment 
• killing 
• maltreatment 
• massacre 
• mistreatment www.thesaurus.com
• murder 
• oppression 
• torture 

When To Use

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.