Synonyms of missionaries

missionaries

noun

plural of missionary

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

• missioners
• soldiers
• priests
• monks
• apostles
• ministers
• preachers
• bishops
• evangelists
• friars
• deacons
• clergymen
• students
• religious
• proselytizers
• revivalists
• ecclesiastics
• pastors
• clerics
• scholars
• churchmen
• mendicants
• monastics
• padres
• clericals
• chaplains
• deaconesses
• divines
• prelates
• priestesses
• popes
• archbishops
• vicars
• abbots
• deans
• presbyters
• reverends
• oblates
• rectors
• fathers
• clerks
• clergypersons
• advocates
• confessors
• parsons
• shepherds
• supporters
• clergywomen
• dominies
• diocesans
• protégés
• loyalists
• disciples
• curés
• devotees
• abbés
• partisans
• Holy Joes
• curates
• archpriests
• adherents
• sectarians
• worshippers
• monsignors
• cultists
• fans
• zealots
• ideologists
• champions
• high priests
• enthusiasts
• sky pilots
• followers
• acolytes
• idolaters
• votaries
• pupils
• high priestesses
• ideologues
• admirers
• converts
• faithfuls
• backers
• liege men
• epigones
• votarists

Dissimilar Words

• traitors
• renegades
• defectors
• leaders
• apostates
• turncoats
• laymen
• laypeople
• seculars
• lectors
• lay readers
• coryphaei

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of missionaries

As colonial administrators and missionaries had penetrated the highlands, the practice of cannibalism had ended and kuru had begun to recede. — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

The church’s origins date to the arrival of Christian missionaries in Mombasa in 1844, and its membership has long represented a diverse cross section of Kenyan society, with members of various ethnicities and social strata. — Stephanie Triplettall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Garner is one of numerous missionaries in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who offer the tours. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Almost a century after the overthrow of the goddess Akaso and her kinfolk of local deities by the arrival of white missionaries, their disciples were stepping up to root out what was left. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

The destination is distinctive on its own, not far from the northern reaches of Chilean Patagonia and a site of UNESCO World Heritage churches built by Jesuit missionaries in the 18th century. — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026

More than a century ago, French Catholic missionaries introduced winemaking to northern Yunnan, producing vines for sacramental wine and leaving behind a legacy that blends European techniques with local Tibetan culture. — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Bergen played Shirley, one of the missionaries who were caught in the crossfire when the Chinese Civil War began. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

Once inside a world, the missionaries split up and seek out small groups chatting in quieter corners. — Fiona Murphy, NPR, 2 July 2026