messiah

1 of 2

noun (1)

mes·​si·​ah mə-ˈsī-ə 

1

Messiah

a

: the expected king and deliverer of the Jews

b

: jesus sense 1

2

: a professed or accepted leader of some hope or cause

… security, which the political messiahs promise …

—Vardis Fisher

messiahship

mə-ˈsī-ə-ˌship 

noun

messiahship

2 of 2

noun (2)

mes·​si·​ah·​ship -ˌship 

sometimes capitalized

: the office, condition, profession, or state of being a messiah

the mission and messiahship of Jesus

—Interpreter's Bible

Examples of messiah in a Sentence

Noun (1)

They thought the new principal was the messiah the school had been hoping for.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In Ireland, Christ sometimes had the appearance of a second-tier messiah in his own religion. — Literary Hub, 8 May 2026

In the end, as Walzer observes, there can be no messiahs in a democracy. — Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026

These two men tried to outdo each other in lauding President Donald Trump, coming close to naming him as a messiah in his concern for the safety of federal law enforcement officers who were confronted by American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights in Minneapolis. — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026

As chronicled through the film, Lee’s followers began to see her as a female messiah while others marked her for persecution. — Andrew McGowan, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Hebrew māshīaḥ & Aramaic mĕshīḥā, literally, anointed

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Rhymes for messiah

• gaia
• maia
• maya
• playa
• via
• hezekiah
• jeremiah
• nehemiah
• obadiah
• zechariah
• nyaya
• papaya

Kids Definition

messiah

noun

mes·​si·​ah mə-ˈsī-ə 

1

capitalized

a

: the expected king and deliverer of the Jews

b

: Jesus Christ regarded as the savior of the world by Christians

2

: a leader of some hope or cause : deliverer