persecute

[pur-si-kyoot]

verb (used with object), per·se·cut·ed, per·se·cut·ing.

to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religious or political beliefs, ethnic or racial origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

to annoy or trouble persistently.

Nearby words

Origin of persecute

1400–50; late Middle English; back formation from persecutour persecutor ≪ Late Latin persecūtor orig. prosecutor, equivalent to persecū-, variant stem of persequī to prosecute, pursue closely (see per-, sequence) + -tor -tor

SYNONYMS FOR persecute

1. afflict, torture, torment. 2. worry, badger, vex, bother, pester.

Related forms

per·se·cut·ing·ly, adverbper·se·cu·tive, adjectiveper·se·cu·tive·ness, nounper·se·cu·tor, noun

per·se·cu·to·ry

[pur-si-kyoo-tuh-ree, -kyuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈpɜr sɪˌkyu tə ri, -kyəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivenon·per·se·cut·ing, adjectivenon·per·se·cu·tive, adjectivenon·per·se·cu·to·ry, adjectiveo·ver·per·se·cute, verb (used with object), o·ver·per·se·cut·ed, o·ver·per·se·cut·ing.un·per·se·cut·ed, adjectiveun·per·se·cut·ing, adjectiveun·per·se·cu·tive, adjective

Can be confusedpersecute prosecute

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for persecutory

The paranoiac is now apt to enter fully upon the second or persecutory stage of his mental disorder.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
Perhaps it was a trace of this persecutory religion in her that made Dan accept his present office.
Manslaughter|Alice Duer Miller
This, the second or persecutory stage of delusional insanity, may persist through life.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 5|Various
After the persecutory stage in paranoia, comes the third, or so-called expansive period of the disease.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley

Indeed, one frequently asks himself whether their persecutory ideas deserve to be endowed with the value of actual delusions.
Studies in Forensic Psychiatry|Bernard Glueck

British Dictionary definitions for persecutory

persecutory

adjective

involving or characteristic of persecution

persecute

verb (tr)

to oppress, harass, or maltreat, esp because of race, religion, etc

to bother persistently

Derived Formspersecutive, adjectivepersecutor, noun

Word Origin for persecute

C15: from Old French persecuter, back formation from persecuteur, from Late Latin persecūtor pursuer, from persequī to take vengeance upon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for persecutory

persecute

mid-15c., "to oppress for the holding of a belief or opinion," from Middle French persécuter "pursue, torment, open legal action" (14c.), from Latin persecutus, past participle of persequi "to pursue" (see persecution). Related: Persecuted; persecuting.