evangelist

noun

evan·​ge·​list i-ˈvan-jə-list 

1

often capitalized : a writer of any of the four Gospels

2

: a person who evangelizes

specifically : a Protestant minister or layman who preaches at special services

3

: an enthusiastic advocate

an evangelist for physical fitness

Examples of evangelist in a Sentence

an evangelist of space exploration

Recent Examples on the Web

Joel Osteen, 52, is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church, one of the largest churches in the U.S. The evangelist took over the church after his father and the church's founder, John Osteen, died in 1999. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025

The incident underscored many of the dangers of AI, a nascent technology that critics and tech evangelists both say could upend the global economy and cause significant social upheaval along the way. —Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 12 July 2025

But the parallel economy’s evangelists are betting that over the long haul, right-leaning countercultural businesses will be an enduring fixture of the American economy. —Eric Cortellessa, Time, 17 July 2025

The preacher, evangelist and motivational speaker attended the final day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships with a group that included his sister and four couples. —Janine Henni, People.com, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

evangelist

noun

evan·​ge·​list i-ˈvan-jə-ləst 

: a Christian preacher who goes about from place to place trying to change or increase people's religious feelings

Etymology

Middle English evangelist "one of the writers of the four Gospels," from early French and Latin evangelista (same meaning), from Greek euangelizein "to preach the gospel," from euangelion "good news, gospel," from eu- "good" and angelos "messenger, angel"