persecution

per·se·cu·tion
P3E1R1S1E1C3U1T1I1O1N1
US/ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/UK/ˌpɜːsəˈkjuːʃən/

noun

The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.

“Many apartheid perpetrators escaped prosecution for their persecution of black Africans and political dissidents.”

Less commonScrabble 15

Meanings

nounpersecution (countable and uncountable, plural persecutions)

plural persecutions

  1. countableuncountableThe act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.

    Many apartheid perpetrators escaped prosecution for their persecution of black Africans and political dissidents.

    4 more examples

    During the early 20th century, wolves were considered undesirable. They were subject to persecution and were extirpated from large areas of their original range. With increased environmental awareness in the 1970s, attitudes toward wolves began to change.

    2004 January 1, “The Practices of Wolf Persecution, Protection, and Restoration in Canada and the United States”, in BioScience, Oxford University Press

    […] to support or agree with the persecutions, beatings, dehumanizings, insults, murders, genocides, and oppressions of a perpetrator's target […]

    2008, M. W. Sphero, Religion: The Defamer of God, page 210

    Few concepts are as emotionally charged as that of race. The word conjures up a mixture of associations—culture, ethnicity, genetics, subjugation, exclusion and persecution. But is the tragic history of efforts to define groups of people by race really a matter of the misuse of science, the abuse of a valid biological concept?

    2012 March-April, Jan Sapp, “Race Finished”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 05 Sep 2015, page 164

    I see this not as persecution, but a learning chance to grow.

    2024, Jhariah, “RE: CONCERNS”, in TRUST CEREMONY

Origin

  1. Latinpersequor“follow up, pursue”
  2. Ecclesiastical Latinpersecūtio“persecution; chase, pursuit”
  3. Old Frenchpersecucion
  4. Middle Englishpersecucioun
  5. Englishpersecution

Equivalent to persecute + -ion. From Middle English persecucioun, from Old French persecucion, from Ecclesiastical Latin persecūtio (“persecution; chase, pursuit”), from Latin persequor (“follow up, pursue”), from per- (“through”) + sequor (“follow”). Displaced native Old English ēhtnes.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek διωγμός
  • διωγμός (diōgmós)the act of persecuting
Arabic اِضْطِهَاد
  • اِضْطِهَاد (iḍṭihād)the act of persecuting
Bulgarian преследване, гонение
  • преследване (presledvane)the act of persecuting
  • гонение (gonenie)the act of persecuting
Catalan persecució
  • persecucióthe act of persecuting
Chinese Mandarin 迫害
  • 迫害 (pòhài)the act of persecuting
Czech perzekuce
  • perzekucethe act of persecuting
Danish forfølgelse
  • forfølgelsethe act of persecuting
Dutch vervolging
  • vervolgingthe act of persecuting
Esperanto persekutado
  • persekutadothe act of persecuting
Finnish vainoaminen, vaino
  • vainoaminenthe act of persecuting
  • vainothe act of persecuting
  • sortothe act of persecuting
French persécution
  • persécutionthe act of persecuting
German Verfolgung, Schikane
  • Verfolgungthe act of persecuting
  • Schikanethe act of persecuting
  • Drangsalierungthe act of persecuting
  • Plagethe act of persecuting
  • Belästigungthe act of persecuting
Greek καταδίωξη, δίωξη
  • καταδίωξη (katadíoxi)the act of persecuting
  • δίωξη (díoxi)the act of persecuting
Hebrew רדיפה
  • רדיפה (redifá)the act of persecuting
Hindi प्रताड़ना, सताना
  • प्रताड़ना (pratāṛnā)the act of persecuting
  • सताना (satānā)the act of persecuting
Hungarian üldözés, üldöztetés
  • üldözésthe act of persecuting
  • üldöztetésthe act of persecuting
Irish géarleanúint
  • géarleanúintthe act of persecuting
Italian persecuzione
  • persecuzionethe act of persecuting
Japanese 迫害
  • 迫害 (hakugai)the act of persecuting
Korean 박해
  • 박해 (bakhae)the act of persecuting
Norwegian Bokmål forfølgelse
  • forfølgelsethe act of persecuting
Persian آزار
  • آزار (âzâr)the act of persecuting
Polish prześladowanie
  • prześladowaniethe act of persecuting
Portuguese perseguição
  • perseguiçãothe act of persecuting
Romanian persecutare
  • persecutarethe act of persecuting
Russian пресле́дование, гоне́ние
  • пресле́дование (preslédovanije)the act of persecuting
  • гоне́ние (gonénije)the act of persecuting
  • тра́вля (trávlja)the act of persecuting
  • напа́дки (napádki)the act of persecuting
Spanish persecución, cacería
  • persecuciónthe act of persecuting
  • caceríathe act of persecuting
  • prosecuciónthe act of persecuting
Swedish förföljelse
  • förföljelsethe act of persecuting
Turkish zulüm
  • zulümthe act of persecuting
Vietnamese sự khủng bố
  • sự khủng bốthe act of persecuting
Yiddish פֿאַרפֿאָלגונג, רדיפֿה
  • פֿאַרפֿאָלגונג (farfolgung)the act of persecuting
  • רדיפֿה (rdifh)the act of persecuting

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with persecution

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

persecution. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/persecution

MLA

“persecution.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/persecution. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “persecution,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/persecution.

Source: persecution on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.