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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in apostolic
relating to missionaries or their work
The church organizes missionary trips to a variety of countries.
Related Words
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 missionary
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
Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Archbishop Ronald Hicks was officially installed Friday as New York’s top Catholic leader, outlining a vision of a missionary church that would put people above politics.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Noun
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
Adjective
The Italian American nun opened 67 orphanages, schools, hospitals and missionary orders before her 1917 death in Chicago.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Archbishop Ronald Hicks was officially installed Friday as New York’s top Catholic leader, outlining a vision of a missionary church that would put people above politics.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionary
Noun
-
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
-
Like his apostolic namesake, Thomas believes unquestioningly in the evidence of his senses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The ceremony will be presided over by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The army spokesperson said four wounded soldiers were evacuated for treatment.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Crews uncovered the marble slab while excavating the site of the Mentor, a brig owned by Thomas Bruce, the British soldier and diplomat known as Lord Elgin, according to Greece's Ministry of Culture and BBC News, a CBS News partner.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Gabriel Olivier, an evangelical preacher, was arrested in May 2021 by police in Brandon, Mississippi, for protesting outside of a city amphitheater with a group.—
Julian Mark,
Washington Post,
20 Mar. 2026
-
People not attuned to the evangelical world may have missed the growing prominence of hyper-politicized churches such as Mercy Culture, which have become a key wing of the MAGA coalition.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The actor will portray Father Fintan, a Native American spiritualist and Catholic priest.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Kilmer had been cast as Catholic priest Father Fintan, but was never able to make it on set because of his health struggles and eventual death in 2025.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The city’s oldest Zen Buddhist temple, Kennin-ji Temple is across the street, and one of the hotel’s many offerings is a quiet early morning walking meditation led by a monk in the dry gardens of its sub-temple Ryosokuin.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Mar. 2026
-
One flirts and drinks and dallies and dances; the other is part child, part monk, his mantel packed with icons and crucifixes, his inner landscape a kind of mental Sagrada Família — a weird and extraordinary edifice constructed around the rigors and promises of Christianity.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Missionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionary. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
