as in missioner
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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as in apostolic
relating to missionaries or their work
The church organizes missionary trips to a variety of countries.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of missionary
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
My friends and family also have this problem — my parents especially, since their home is rather remotely located, which seems to draw missionaries in droves.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Olivia Empson, Vanity Fair, 27 Mar. 2026
While Quebec's largest city was first founded as a missionary center rather than a fur-trading post, as was the case with several other Canadian cities, the proceeding centuries have seen Montreal more than make up for its nonmaterialist origins.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Noun
In the 1890s, LDS missionaries brought their faith to Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
My friends and family also have this problem — my parents especially, since their home is rather remotely located, which seems to draw missionaries in droves.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The alumni network is narrow, with graduates mostly appearing to funnel into the familiar pipeline of pastors, missionary, or ministry leader roles.
—Olivia Empson, Vanity Fair, 27 Mar. 2026
While Quebec's largest city was first founded as a missionary center rather than a fur-trading post, as was the case with several other Canadian cities, the proceeding centuries have seen Montreal more than make up for its nonmaterialist origins.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionary
Noun
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Kelley Hudlow, missioner for clergy formation for the diocese, told NBC affiliate WVTM of Birmingham soon after the shooting that church leaders were trying to learn more.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
17 June 2022
-
Eby will continue to serve as outreach missioner at the Church of the Nativity and as priest-in-charge at St. Timothy’s Church in Athens.—
al,
al,
1 Dec. 2020
Adjective
-
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Kast and his wife are part of Schoenstatt, a Catholic apostolic movement devoted to the Virgin Mary.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the past few years, Russia, at an enormous cost to its own forces, made steady advances on the battlefield (most estimates suggest more than a million Russian soldiers have been killed or injured since the start of the conflict).—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
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At least 17 Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the country's military.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Joni Lamb, cofounder and president of the evangelical Christian TV network Daystar, has died.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Trump has seen declines with other key base voting groups, like white evangelical Christians and rural voters.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Once the nuns moved to their own convent, Viatorian priests, some who also taught at Marian, moved in and lived there until Blanche died in 1983, according to materials from the historical society.—
Paul Eisenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
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Al-Amil said the pope spoke in French with the priests during the video call that lasted about a minute and urged them to stay in their hometowns.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Noun
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On May 6, 2026, a historic ceremony was held where a robot received the Buddhist precepts from a monk.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
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Additionally, the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh attracted attention in the United States not only with his opposition to the Vietnam War but also with his notion of Engaged Buddhism, which emphasizes improving human life through political activism and everyday acts of mindfulness.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Missionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionary. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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