evangelist

noun

evan·​ge·​list i-ˈvan-jə-list 

1

often Evangelist : 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

And, Rwanda does not present itself as a nuclear evangelist. —Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, has become an evangelist of a certain sort. —Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026

Then, in 2024, a third element entered the system, in the unlikely form of a hustle-culture evangelist from Indiana named Malcolm Tanner. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026

The Source Family’s restaurant — early vegetarian evangelists — also touched down in 1969 and served fresh juice alongside salads and cottage cheese. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026

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"