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
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
The mothers were usually poor women or prostitutes, the children generally given up for adoption to orphanages, many of them run by foreign missionaries.
—Literary Hub, 11 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
The informal garden style — of which the English garden is the most notable type — dates to the late 17th century when Jesuit missionaries began sending sketches of Chinese Imperial gardens back to England.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Some of that reporting said the weapons were intended for delivery to 400 Mawozo, a Haitian street gang that gained wide attention in 2021 for kidnapping 17 missionaries with a religious group from Ohio.
—Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 14 Jan. 2026
Hit the apps Diplomats, CEOs and missionaries often learn languages in high-intensity, immersive environments with dedicated instructors.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
After World War I, the US Navy operated the Yangtze Patrol, a flotilla of gunboats that protected American interests – including missionaries and oil companies – inside China during a lengthy period of warlordism and instability.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The mothers were usually poor women or prostitutes, the children generally given up for adoption to orphanages, many of them run by foreign missionaries.
—Literary Hub, 11 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
The informal garden style — of which the English garden is the most notable type — dates to the late 17th century when Jesuit missionaries began sending sketches of Chinese Imperial gardens back to England.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
Some of that reporting said the weapons were intended for delivery to 400 Mawozo, a Haitian street gang that gained wide attention in 2021 for kidnapping 17 missionaries with a religious group from Ohio.
—Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 14 Jan. 2026
Hit the apps Diplomats, CEOs and missionaries often learn languages in high-intensity, immersive environments with dedicated instructors.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
After World War I, the US Navy operated the Yangtze Patrol, a flotilla of gunboats that protected American interests – including missionaries and oil companies – inside China during a lengthy period of warlordism and instability.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionaries
Noun
-
On Saturday, the Afghan Defense Ministry claimed that Afghan forces killed 110 Pakistani soldiers during ongoing fighting.—
MUNIR AHMED,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Scores of protesters gathered in Times Square on Saturday afternoon to rally against the strikes, accusing the president of being a rogue actor who has put soldiers’ lives on the line for no reason.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Pushback did not come only from parishioners but from a group of priests within the diocese.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Marcos’s commanders, confronted with throngs of nuns, priests and ordinary civilians pleading, weeping and kneeling in prayer, refused orders to open fire and clear the streets, and Marcos subsequently fled to exile in Hawaii.—
Keith B. Richburg,
Washington Post,
25 Feb. 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 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
