as in missioners
a person who is sent especially to a foreign country to do religious work (such as converting people to the religion or ministering to the sick)
The missionaries sent to the island were ultimately unsuccessful in converting the native residents.
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Recent Examples of missionaries
Scholars say 16th-century Catholic missionaries introduced Europe’s Grim Reaper figure to Mexico’s indigenous population, believing fear of death would instill a desire for salvation and convert them to Christianity.
—
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 June 2026
Citizens turned away Already, two American doctors working as Christian missionaries in the DRC have been sent elsewhere for care.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Six close contacts, including fellow missionaries and his wife, have been relocated to Germany for monitoring.
—Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Both Hicks and Leo grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and served as missionaries in Latin America and are fluent in Spanish.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Spanish missionaries first brought olives to Georgia in the mid-16th century, and 200 years later, olive trees were planted in the Trustees' Garden in Savannah, the first public agricultural experimental garden.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 11 May 2026
In the late eighteen-hundreds, American missionaries in Korea converted thousands of people.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Marco Polo’s Il milione gained widespread popularity among 13th- and 14th-century Europeans, and accounts from missionaries and explorers were published for audiences who often financed these voyages.
—Suzanne Dundas, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
In the 1890s, LDS missionaries brought their faith to Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 June 2026
Citizens turned away Already, two American doctors working as Christian missionaries in the DRC have been sent elsewhere for care.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Six close contacts, including fellow missionaries and his wife, have been relocated to Germany for monitoring.
—Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Both Hicks and Leo grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and served as missionaries in Latin America and are fluent in Spanish.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Spanish missionaries first brought olives to Georgia in the mid-16th century, and 200 years later, olive trees were planted in the Trustees' Garden in Savannah, the first public agricultural experimental garden.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 11 May 2026
In the late eighteen-hundreds, American missionaries in Korea converted thousands of people.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Marco Polo’s Il milione gained widespread popularity among 13th- and 14th-century Europeans, and accounts from missionaries and explorers were published for audiences who often financed these voyages.
—Suzanne Dundas, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
In the 1890s, LDS missionaries brought their faith to Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionaries
Noun
-
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in separate incidents, according to their military.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
-
Strikers viewed militiamen and soldiers as strikebreakers, and with the arrival of troops in Chicago, the violence escalated dramatically, as did civilian deaths.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
His center has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
-
Performers in traditional dress portray Inca nobility, priests and warriors, and the rituals are conducted in Quechua, the language of the Inca Empire and still widely spoken in the Andes today.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Two monks sustained serious injuries, and one monk lost part of his leg as a result of the crash.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Missionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionaries. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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