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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 missionaries
This outrageous musical comedy follows the adventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word.
—
Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
In the decades that followed, missionaries, emigrants, soldiers – and even Pony Express riders – made their way across the area.
—Chris Mueller, Des Moines Register, 9 Mar. 2026
Not bad for a musical about Mormon missionaries trying to convert the residents of a remote Ugandan village — an idea that, let’s face it, sounds ripe for disaster.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
In the South, Black ministers and White missionaries welcomed the formerly enslaved into the faith and worked with them to establish independent social and political lives.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
From when French fur trappers and Catholic missionaries first made their way to the Great Lakes in the 17th century until the onset of a population boom in the mid-19th century, Indigenous inhabitants sustained relatively stable and mutually beneficial relations with colonial powers.
—Daniel Cueto-Villalobos, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
Hispanic settlers and missionaries later made their way into the area, and tribes continued to live in various parts of Arizona.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
By the mid-sixties and seventies, Unification missionaries were flooding Japan.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Before that, there were Picts, Celts, and early Christian missionaries (it is thought that the great Irish warrior-saint Columba may have visited Eilean Shona).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Jan. 2026
Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
In the decades that followed, missionaries, emigrants, soldiers – and even Pony Express riders – made their way across the area.
—Chris Mueller, Des Moines Register, 9 Mar. 2026
Not bad for a musical about Mormon missionaries trying to convert the residents of a remote Ugandan village — an idea that, let’s face it, sounds ripe for disaster.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
In the South, Black ministers and White missionaries welcomed the formerly enslaved into the faith and worked with them to establish independent social and political lives.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
From when French fur trappers and Catholic missionaries first made their way to the Great Lakes in the 17th century until the onset of a population boom in the mid-19th century, Indigenous inhabitants sustained relatively stable and mutually beneficial relations with colonial powers.
—Daniel Cueto-Villalobos, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
Hispanic settlers and missionaries later made their way into the area, and tribes continued to live in various parts of Arizona.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
By the mid-sixties and seventies, Unification missionaries were flooding Japan.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Before that, there were Picts, Celts, and early Christian missionaries (it is thought that the great Irish warrior-saint Columba may have visited Eilean Shona).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionaries
Noun
-
Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said Saturday on X that its defense forces along the border in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar captured a Pakistani post and killed 14 Pakistani soldiers.—
MUNIR AHMED,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
-
So standing idly by while Palestinians are being beaten up by settlers is actually soldiers following orders.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Leo will meet with a community of Augustinian sisters and priests, and tour an archaeological site.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
On Friday, for example, in a speech to priests attending a Vatican class on the sacrament of confession, Leo said the sacrament was a workshop that restores unity and peace.—
Nicole Winfield,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 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 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
