proselytize

verb pros·e·ly·tize \ ˈprä-s(ə-)lə-ˌtīz \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of proselytize

proselytized; proselytizing

intransitive verb

1 : to induce someone to convert to one's faith

2 : to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause

transitive verb

: to recruit or convert especially to a new faith, institution, or cause

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proselytization

play \ˌprä-s(ə-)lə-tə-ˈzā-shən, ˌprä-sə-ˌlī-tə-\ noun

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proselytizer

play \ˈprä-s(ə-)lə-ˌtī-zər\ noun

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Examples of proselytize in a Sentence

They are a sport-shirted, discomforted lot, pacing, puffing feverishly on cigarettes, perspiring freely and proselytizing furiously. —Nicholas Dawidoff, Sports Illustrated, 19 Aug. 1991
His prodigious correspondence with twenty-five hundred scientists, politicians, and men of letters … proselytized for his new science of statistics. —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
He uses his position to proselytize for the causes that he supports.
the efforts of early missionaries to proselytize the Native Americans of Minnesota were largely unproductive

Recent Examples of proselytize from the Web

The Mormon church has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing leaders of brushing aside rape allegations dating to 1984 against the former head of a church training center that prepares young members for proselytizing missions.

— lindsay whitehurst, Fox News, "Mormon church wants 1984 rape case against leader tossed out," 16 May 2018
In this way the missionary fervor once directed toward Christianizing the globe found its late-20th-century expression as proselytizing for population control.

— william mcgurn, WSJ, "The Population Bomb Was a Dud," 30 Apr. 2018
Schweickart devoted several decades to proselytizing for deflection and mitigation technology.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "We Can Save Ourselves From Earth-Killing Asteroids, But Someone Has to Pay," 11 June 2015
An old photograph of hippies sparks consideration of a 1960s fad that had those with little experience of the land proselytizing the necessity of returning to it.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the farmhouse next door, and unexpected connections in between," 16 Apr. 2018
Hundreds of others have been imprisoned and expelled from China, which bans foreigners from proselytizing.

— Fox News, "Missionaries at border spread Christianity to North Korea," 5 Apr. 2018
Apple’s doubling down on proselytizing the importance of guarding people’s privacy.

— chris morris, Fortune, "Apple Continues To Take Subtle Shots at Facebook in New OS Update," 29 Mar. 2018
STARGAZER Neil deGrasse Tyson is the director of the Hayden Planetarium and an astrophysical cheerleader, enthusiastically proselytizing through TV and books on exploding stars, black holes, cosmic quandaries and dwarf galaxies.

— julie besonen, New York Times, "Future Lions of New York," 16 Feb. 2018
The university, a private nonsectarian research institution, has been careful in clarifying that this chair is not intended to proselytize on atheism’s behalf.

— isabel fattal, The Atlantic, "How Should Atheism Be Taught?," 31 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proselytize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Proselytize comes from the noun proselyte (meaning "a new convert"), which comes from the Late Latin noun proselytus. Proselytus means "stranger" or "alien resident," and comes from a similar Greek word (prosēlytos). When proselytize entered English in the 17th century, it had a distinctly religious connotation and meant simply "to recruit religious converts." This meaning is still common, but today one can also proselytize in a broader sense - recruiting converts to one's political party or pet cause, for example.