2 uses
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Definition
very bad and unfair treatment of others — usually because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or political beliefs
- His son, too, inherited the persecuting spirit, and made himself so conspicuous in the martyrdom of the witches, that their blood may fairly be said to have left a stain upon him.Introductory (15% in)
- He was likewise a bitter persecutor; as witness the Quakers, who have remembered him in their histories, and relate an incident of his hard severity towards a woman of their sect, which will last longer, it is to be feared, than any record of his better deeds, although these were many.Introductory (15% in)
There are no more uses of "persecution" in The Scarlet Letter.
Typical Usage
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