as in recruit
a person who has recently been persuaded to join a religious sect
an adult proselyte who had only recently been baptized
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to convert
to persuade to change to one's religious faith
she's been trying to proselyte everyone in the office ever since she joined that church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of proselyte
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2012
Seneca went on to become a proselyte for the Stoic path, extolling its benefits in a long run of prose essays while also serving—in some eyes, dishonorably—as an adviser to Nero.
—James Romm, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021
Rashi concludes that the text, therefore, must refer to a ger, a proselyte, who has died leaving no next of kin among the Jewish People.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
The law of gezel hager (stealing from a proselyte) reminds us that the Torah was given to all Jews – including converts.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
In order to understand this idea, the special relationship between God and the proselyte must be examined.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
Kitselman also became a proselyte for the history of Waterford, helping to create educational programming at the town’s Second Street School.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2021
Christian Angermayer is an unlikely proselyte of psychedelia: The German financier didn’t drink so much as a sip of beer for the first three decades of his life.
—Meghana Keshavan, Scientific American, 9 July 2019
Enter proselytes in acetate eyeglasses and Rosie Pope workwear, drawn by listservs like Brooklynitos and Fort Greene Kids and BoCoCa Moms (BoCoCa being an acronym for three adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods).
—Sonja Sharp, latimes.com, 27 June 2018
Noun
The authors observe that Yemeni Jews share elevated IBD with other Jewish populations, suggesting more than an indigenous proselyte origin for this community.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2012
Seneca went on to become a proselyte for the Stoic path, extolling its benefits in a long run of prose essays while also serving—in some eyes, dishonorably—as an adviser to Nero.
—James Romm, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021
Rashi concludes that the text, therefore, must refer to a ger, a proselyte, who has died leaving no next of kin among the Jewish People.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
The law of gezel hager (stealing from a proselyte) reminds us that the Torah was given to all Jews – including converts.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
In order to understand this idea, the special relationship between God and the proselyte must be examined.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
Kitselman also became a proselyte for the history of Waterford, helping to create educational programming at the town’s Second Street School.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2021
Christian Angermayer is an unlikely proselyte of psychedelia: The German financier didn’t drink so much as a sip of beer for the first three decades of his life.
—Meghana Keshavan, Scientific American, 9 July 2019
Enter proselytes in acetate eyeglasses and Rosie Pope workwear, drawn by listservs like Brooklynitos and Fort Greene Kids and BoCoCa Moms (BoCoCa being an acronym for three adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods).
—Sonja Sharp, latimes.com, 27 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proselyte
Noun
-
Junior Dijon Johnson is a former top-100 recruit who changed his commitment from Ohio State.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 July 2025
-
The former four-star recruit from Oregon ranked 23rd nationally in passing efficiency, completing 61.7 percent of his 350 attempts for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
This technology isn't just about converting thoughts into text.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2025
-
She’s even converted a Capitol office cubby into a personal vanity, with full makeup kits both there and at home.—
Tira Urquhart,
Essence,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
O'Reilly's acceptance of newcomers helped grow his city while other cities in the region with smaller immigrant communities saw a population decline during that decade.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
3 July 2025
-
For regular attendees of this elevated, date-night-worthy soiree, there will be newcomer wares to sample.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 July 2025
Verb
-
For nearly two decades, Govan has proselytized his vision for LACMA reborn, a place liberated from 19th-century academic thinking about the proper role and form of a civic arts institution.—
Mayer Rus,
Architectural Digest,
26 June 2025
-
These were the glory days of celebrity magazines and gossip blogs, and Anderson was ubiquitous, proselytizing about how to get J.Lo’s butt or Gwyneth’s … anything.—
Xochitl Gonzalez,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proselyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proselyte. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share